FLOWERY BRANCH –The players are enjoying their last open weekend before reporting to camp on Thursday.
We continue our countdown today with a look at the defensive line.
Falcons defensive line coach Bryan Cox doesn’t want to be fooled by any offseason gym-class heroes.
He liked what he saw over the offseason, but wants to see what happens when the Falcons put on some shoulder pads and helmets.
Cox was pleased with the gym class workouts of Grady Jarrett, Cliff Matthews and undrafted rookie Joey Mbu over the offseason.
“When you look across the defensive line you see Grady Jarrett showing some stuff and think he can come out and help,” Cox said. “You like what Cliff Matthews has done. He’s a versatile guy. He can play a bunch of different roles. He looks a little better than he has in the past.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Mbu is an undrafted rookie from Houston.
“When you talk about Joey Mbu, as an rookie free agent coming in here, I think he’s shown in gym class that he’s willing to put his hands on (people), play with the proper technique and do what you’re coaching him to do,” Cox said. “Those three guys have kind of been the standouts.”
Defensive end/linebacker Vic Beasley, the eighth overall pick, has also impressed Cox.
“You saw all of the stuff that he did in college,” Cox said. “A good first step, quickness and good closing speed. His strength is definitely in the pass rush aspect of it. He’s coming a long.”
Cox is ready for some live hitting.
“The biggest thing is that we have a smart class of young players,” Cox said. “You can’t tell who’s going to be what until you put the pads on. For me, that’s what separates the men from the boys.”
Here's a look at the defensive linemen:
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Jonathan Babineaux, Iowa, 6-2, 300: The steady veteran is about to enter his 11th season in the league. Last season he started 15 games and had 32 tackles, two sacks and one pass defense. He had strong grades against the pass, but not against the run and could be headed for a rotational pass-rushing role at age 33. He played 708 snaps last season and had five quarterback hits and 34 hurries.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota, 6-6, 318: The second-round pick showed flashes of brilliance last season in limited action. He has to become more consistent and maintain a high level of play. Hageman played in all 16 games last season and had 17 tackles and one sack.
Ricky Havili-Heimuli, Oregon, 6-4, 314: Originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a college free agent out of Oregon after the 2014 NFL draft. He played in 39 games in four seasons with the Ducks. He made 49 tackles (21 solo), three tackles for loss, one sack and one pass defensed.
Grady Jarrett, Clemson, 6-0, 305: The son of former Falcons great Jessie Tuggle. He was a three-sport standout at Rockdale High and captured state titles in wrestling and the shot put. He was a team co-captain. He was named third-team All-American by Athlon and first-team All-ACC by the media and the coaches. He had 73 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures, two caused fumbles and one recovered fumble in 530 snaps over 13 games (13 starts). Comes off the ball low and has natural leverage. Could earn a spot in the defensive line rotation.
Warren Herring, Wisconsin, 6-3, 294: He played in 44 career games for the Badgers, and made 56 tackles (28 solo) with 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two passes defensed.
Joey Mbu, Houston, 6-3, 310: This is an active undrafted player to keep an eye on. He's showed flashes of explosiveness off the ball during the offseason. He started all 13 games for the Cougars in 2014, serving as a team captain and earning first team All-AAC honors. He posted 92 tackles (38 solo) with 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and eight passes defensed in 50 career games.
Paul Soliai, Utah, 6-4, 345: The former one-time Pro Bowler started 14 of 15 games in his first season with the Falcons. He had 29 tackles and one sack. He played 519 snaps and was the 30th ranked defensive tackle in the league of the group who played more than 50 percent of their team's snaps, according to profootballfocus.com. He graded out well against the run, but likely will be coming off the field in the nickel package this year.
DEFENSIVE ENDS
Vic Beasley, Clemson, 6-2, 235: Clemson's all-time sack leader is a native of Adairsville. He had 37 tackles, a team-high 21.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 12 sacks, nine quarterback pressures, three pass breakups, two caused fumbles, one recovered fumble and a 16-yard fumble return for a touchdown in 557 snaps over 13 games (12 starts) last season. He was the ACC defensive player of the year, as voted on by the coaches and the media. He finished with 33 sacks in his career, which he started as a running back. He was added to spruce up the pass rush.
Kroy Biermann, Montana, 6-3, 255: While coming off an Achilles surgery, he led the anemic pass rush with 4.5 sacks. He was re-signed after testing free agency. He had 75 tackles, two passes defensed and one forced fumble last season. In seven seasons in Atlanta, he has 273 tackles (202 solo) with 21 sacks, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and three defensive touchdowns. He was signed to a one-year $1.925 million contract that included a $500,000 signing bonus.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Adrian Clayborn, Iowa, 6-3, 280: A former first-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2011, has 13 career sacks. He played one game last season after tearing his biceps. He agreed to one-year deal, worth $3 million with another $1.25 million available through incentives. Clayborn, 26, also has battled a condition called Erb's Palsy, a disability that caused nerve damage to his right shoulder. He missed most of the 2012 season due to a torn ACL, he returned and played another full slate of games the next year and made 64 tackles and had 5.5 sacks. While he didn't flash the same type of burst off of the edge, he was still a solid contributor. The Falcons need him to rebound to help stop the run and add some spice to their pass rush.
Malliciah Goodman, Clemson, 6-4, 276: He made 10 starts and played in all 16 games last season. He finished with 17 tackles and two forced fumbles. He played 594 snaps and was the 31st rated defensive end of the group who played more than 50 percent of their team's snaps, according to profootballfocus.com.
Tyson Jackson, LSU, 6-4, 296: He started all 16 games last season and had 22 tackles. He does a lot of the dirty work in the trenches that should free the linebackers to make plays. He was the 32nd rated defensive tackle and played 525 snaps. He had two quarterback hits and 11 hurries.
Cliff Matthews, South Carolina, 6-4, 268: He played in seven games last season and made seven tackles. He a strong special teams player.
Sam Meredith, San Diego State, 6-4, 290: He made honorable mention All-Mountain West honors as a true sophomore in 2012 and was voted the team's defensive lineman of the year by the coaching staff that season.
O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin, 6-3, 260: He was originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He spent time with the Cardinals and Seahawks, posting 111 total tackles (93 solo), 13.5 sacks three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one pass defense. Schofield played in all 16 regular season games and two playoff games as a member of the Seahawks in 2014. He posted 20 tackles (15 solo), two sacks and one fumble recovery last season.
Tyler Starr, South Dakota, 6-5, 250: He was drafted as a project last season after flashing some pass rush ability in college. One could surmise that it was going to be a long year after the Falcons changed his stance during rookie minicamp. The team has showed patience with Starr, but now they want to see some action on the field. He didn't play in a game last season.
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ATLANTA FALCONS 2015 COUNTDOWN TO CAMP: We started our countdown to training camp 11 days out on Monday. We started with the wide receivers followed by the quarterbacks, running backs, fullbacks/tight ends, offensive line and defensive line today. Links are below if you missed one.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday – Fullbacks/Tight ends
Saturday – Defensive line
Sunday – Linebackers
Mon., July 27 – 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 p.m.
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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