Falcons game will feature battle of top-five picks

Flowery Branch — The Falcons’ new regime of general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith had a major dilemma in April as the NFL draft moved closer.

Selecting third behind Miami and St. Louis, it looked as if Atlanta would be able to select either the top quarterback, top defensive tackle or top running back.

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AP

Defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was projected a top three NFL pick and fell to No. 5 to the Kansas City. He will face the No. 3 daft pick in Matt Ryan on Sunday at the Georgia.

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Michigan tackle Jake Long was going to Miami. St. Louis wanted defensive lineman Chris Long.

After signing Michael Turner during free agency in March and being happy with Jerious Norwood as a backup, Dimitroff had no reason to select Arkansas’ Darren McFadden.

So the choice came down to Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan or LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, the top-rated players at their respective positions.

Because of Michael Vick’s incarceration, the franchise was at what Dimitroff called “a tipping point.” And because the long-term value of a quarterback outweighs that of a defensive tackle, the Falcons went with Ryan.

On Sunday, Ryan and Dorsey, who went two picks later to Kansas City, will go against each other for the first time when their teams play at 1 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.

“He was by far the best defensive tackle in the draft as far as how we evaluated the defensive lineman,” Smith said. “He’s very explosive. He’s a very efficient run player. He can push the pocket.”

The Chiefs also had Dorsey rated higher than a No. 5 pick and were surprised he was still available, according to head coach Herman Edwards.

“We’re glad that we have him,” Edwards said. “We have a pretty young defensive line with the starters we have up there with Tamba (Hali) being the oldest guy up there with three years.”

In their first two games, Ryan and Dorsey have had their moments.

Ryan’s first pass went for a 62-yard touchdown against the Lions in Week 1. He struggled last week against Tampa Bay’s rugged defense, throwing two interceptions.

Dorsey has five tackles, but was part of a defensive front that gave up 300 yards rushing to Oakland last week.

“I don’t know that you can really look at stats with a defensive tackle and tell how productive they are,” Smith said. “I think he’s going to be an outstanding defensive tackle in this league.”

Dorsey is no stranger to the Georgia Dome. He played in two SEC title games and one Chick-fil-A Bowl in the facility. He knows how close he came to being a Falcon.

“I flew to Atlanta and did my visit,” Dorsey said. “I talked to the whole coaching staff. I thought it was a good visit.”

He wasn’t sure which team was going to select him. Some draftniks had him rated as the No. 1 player in the draft. Some compared him to Warren Sapp, the former Tampa Bay and Oakland defensive tackle.

“You never know how the draft is going to work out,” Dorsey said. “They [the Falcons] didn’t pick me and that’s just what it was. You really don’t know until your name is called where you’re going to go.”

Dorsey would not say if he has extra motivation for today’s game because the Falcons passed on him.

“I don’t want to get into all of that,” Dorsey said. “I’m a Chief. That’s in the past. The draft is over and now it’s time to play football.”

Dorsey will line up across Falcons second-year guard Justin Blalock.

“He’s a very talented individual,” Blalock said. “The kid can play some ball.”

Falcons backup lineman Ben Wilkerson was a senior at LSU when Dorsey arrived as a freshmen. Wilkerson, who was considered the top center in the nation before a gruesome knee injury in 2004, saw something special in Dorsey.

“Everything he did, he put 100 percent into it whether if it was practicing on the field or in the weight room working out,” Wilkerson said. “He worked real, real hard.”

Wilkerson expects Dorsey will fulfill the high expectations that the Chiefs have for him.

“I know he has that same attitude now, putting 100 percent into every thing that he does,” Wilkerson said. “That made him a great player at LSU and I’m sure it will do the same thing here.