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Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
ATHENS – Several folks took notice of the Falcons show of "force" at Georgia's Pro Day on Wednesday.
The Falcons had 18 people on hand, including retired scout Bob Harrison.
I asked Dimitroff, “Why do y’all have so many people here? Y’all don’t draft Georgia players.”
He was aware that football fans keep track of such things even if that’s not totally accurate.
The Falcons passed on former Georgia standouts like running back Todd Gurley in 2015, linebacker Alec Ogletree in 2013 and defensive end Justin Houston in 2011. Dimitroff did select linebacker Akeem Dent in the third-round of the 2011 draft and running back Thomas Brown in the sixth-round back in 2008.
Dimitroff seem to admit that the Falcons may have “under graded” some Georgia players in the past.
“Being this close, again, there’s always good talent at Georgia,” Dimitroff said. “Sometimes we may under-grade. This gives us one more opportunity to look at the players to see if in fact we missed something.”
The Falcons wanted to make sure they weren’t missing anything this year. They also wanted to see Leonard Floyd up close and personal. They were disappointed when he backed out of drills with a tummy ache.
“I think coming here, myself and Dan Quinn, we’re here,” Dimitroff said. “(Assistant general manager) Scott Pioli and a number of our scouts and directors are here. We have a full force of coaches as well. It gives us an opportunity to hone in on all elements and the nuances of every player. It helps us to have the coaches out there as well.”
Special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong put kicker Marshall Morgan through his workout.
“We have a great relationship with Georgia,” Dimitroff said. “It seems like at certain times that it hasn’t fallen in our laps. We’ll always be here and make sure that we focus…we have great interaction and relationships with them. Hopefully, one day soon, we can pull off one that’s going to be a difference maker.”
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