FLOWERY BRANCH -- The countdown to camp rolls on.
The players report on Thursday and take the field on Friday for their first practice.
Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant was elated about the hiring of Dan Quinn as the team’s 16th head coach.
His brother, Marcus Trufant, played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. He was on the team when Quinn was the assistant head coach/defensive line in 2009 and 2010.
Trufant played 1,099 snaps last season and was the highest rated player on the defense according to profootballfocus.com. He was the sixth-rated cornerback in the league overall behind Denver’s Chris Harris, Indianapolis Vontae Davis, Seattle's Richard Sherman, New England’s Darrelle Revis and Kansas City’s Sean Smith.
Trufant, who had nine passes defensed and three interceptions, is entrenched at right cornerback.
Robert Alford, second-round pick Jalen Collins and veteran Phillip Adams will battle for the right cornerback spot and the nickel position.
Also, Dezmen Southward, who's being converted to cornerback, could make a bid for playing time.
Here's a look at the cornerbacks:
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Phillip Adams, S.C. State, 5-11, 195: He spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. He's started a combined eight games over those seasons, with eight pass deflections and three interceptions. Adams will likely compete for a nickel role. He was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (224th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He has spent time with the 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Raiders and Jets during his career. Overall, he's seen action in 12 contests with four starts, recording 20 tackles, one interception, and four passes defensed in 2014.
Robert Alford, SE Louisiana, 5-10, 186: Secondary/senior defensive assistant coach Marquand Manuel was riding Alford pretty hard this offseason. Alford broke his wrist in Week 11 last season, but the team didn't place him on injured reserve until Dec. 15. The former second-round pick had 31 tackles, 12 passes defensed and three interceptions. Manuel was trying to get Alford to clean up his play. He had nine penalties last season (four were declined) and gave up 100 yards in penalties (tops on the team) and five first downs.
Jalen Collins, LSU, 6-1, 203: A big, physical cornerback with size and tackling ability. He led the Tigers with nine pass breakups in 2014, despite starting only seven of 13 games as a fourth-year junior. He also had 38 tackles and an interception. After redshirting as a freshman in 2011, Collins started the first game the next season before transitioning to a reserve role. Said he has a 78 1/8-inch wingspan. He had the beginning of a "Jones fracture" in his right foot, which required surgery in March. A screw was inserted to stabilize the area.
Akeem King, San Jose State, 6-3, 212: He was the fourth-leading tackler with 71 stops (tops among defensive backs) with two pass breakups and 1.5 tackles for lost yardage while starting all 12 games at safety. Was a reserve over his first three seasons. In high school he also lettered in basketball and track and field, setting the school record with a time of 10.74 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at his Pro Day. Team officials say they're going to look at King first as a cornerback.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Michael Lee, Fort Valley State, 6-1, 185: He made 41 tackles (24 solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and eight passes defensed during his senior season with the Wildcats. He spent three seasons at the University of Massachusetts, where he made 54 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed. Lee is a native of McDonough, Georgia and attended Eagles Landing High School.
Jonathon Mincy, Auburn 5-10, 196: He was signed after the conclusion of the Falcons' rookie minicamp. Mincy, of Decatur, played at Southwest DeKalb High. He finished his career with 211 tackles and was named to the All-SEC second-team by the league's coaches.
Dezmen Southward, Wisconsin, 6-2, 210: His conversion to cornerback was slowed by offseason knee surgery. He was drafted as a free safety and played well in the dime coverages last season. He had 23 tackles, a sack and an interception.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Desmond Trufant, Washington, 6-0, 190: The team's first-round pick in 2013, started to take on more responsibility during the Baltimore game last when the former staff decided to match him against Steve Smith when the team played man-to-man coverage. He continued in that role for the remainder of the season. Trufant was strong in coverage and played the run well. His play was recognized after the season as he was named to the All-NFC team by the Pro Football Writers of America alongside of Seattle's Richard Sherman.
Kevin White, TCU, 5-10, 174: He finished his career with 146 total tackles (118 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, six interceptions, three fumble recoveries and 27 passes defensed. He was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the conference's coaches in 2014, notching career highs with 51 tackles (44 solo), four tackles for loss and 11 passes defensed.
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ATLANTA FALCONS 2015 COUNTDOWN TO CAMP: We started our countdown to training camp 11 days out of Monday with a position by position look at the team. Links are below if you missed one.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday – Fullbacks/Tight ends
TODAY – Cornerbacks
Tue., July 28 – Safeties
Wed., July 29 – Special teams
Thur., July 30 -- Assistant coaches (non coordinators)
Friday, July 31 – First day of practice.
TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE: The Falcons will hold their training camp at the team's headquarters for the 11th consecutive year and will have select practices open to the public from July 31 – August 19.
On Friday, August 7, the Falcons will hold their “Friday Night Lights” controlled scrimmage at Buford High School.
Here’s the training camp schedule:
Friday, July 31 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Saturday, August 1 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Sunday, August 2 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Monday, August 3 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Tuesday, August 4 – Players’ Day Off (No Media Availability)
Wednesday, August 5 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Thursday, August 6 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Friday, August 7 – “Friday Night Lights” (Buford High School – open to the public)
Saturday, August 8 – Players’ Day Off (No Media Availability)
Sunday, August 9 – Practice 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (open to the public)
Monday, August 10 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Tuesday, August 11 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Wednesday, August 12 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Thursday, August 13 – Practice 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. (open to the public)
Friday, August 14 – Falcons vs. Tennessee Titans, Georgia Dome, 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, August 15 – Players’ Day Off (No Media Availability)
Sunday, August 16 – Walkthrough (closed to the public)
Monday, August 17 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Tuesday, August 18 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Wednesday, August 19 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
ROOKIE MINICAMP VIDEOS VIDEO:
Meet Falcons 2nd round pick CB Jalen Collins
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 3rd round pick RB Tevin Coleman
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 4th round pick WR Justin Hardy
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 5th round pick DT Grady Jarrett
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 7th round pick OT Jake Rodgers
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 7th round pick CB Akeem King
AJC's 2015 NFL DRAFT COVERAGE
Falcons pick Vic Beasley, pass on Todd Gurley
Scouting report: Vic Beasley the next DeMarcus Ware or a one-trick pony?
Grady Jarrett escapes fire before Falcons draft him
MARK BRADLEY COLUMN: Vic Beasley: The right pick at the right time
JEFF SCHULTZ COLUMN: Falcons' Quinn determined to fix pass rush in draft
STEVE HUMMER feature on first-round pick Vic Beasley
Falcons add CB Jalen Collins in the second round
Falcons add RB Tevin Coleman in the third round
Falcons' draft bios round 2 through 7
PHOTO GALLERY: Meet the Falcons draft class
VIDEO
Vic Beasley plans to be a double-digit sack guy
Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn on the first round of the draft
Falcons coach Dan Quinn on 4th round pick WR Justin Hardy
Dimitroff and Quinn on 5th round pick DT Grady Jarrett
Quinn on 7th round pick OT Jake Rodgers
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