Four takeaways from first week of Falcons’ offseason program

1. The Falcons’ rookie class is a competitive one.

The Falcons heavily invested in their defense during the offseason, with four of their five draft picks coming on that side of the ball. All of the rookies are highly competitive, and it starts with first-round picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

Outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith’s face lit up when talking about Walker, saying the former Georgia edge rusher has an “infectious personality.”

“The first impression he made on me when he walked into the combine (meeting room), man, he was sharp,” Smith said. “He was on it. He had this aura about him when he walked, just kind of jaw-dropping.”

With Pearce Jr., Smith appeared impressed when saying the former Tennessee edge rusher “looks the part.”

“The traits are real,” Smith said. “Everything that I’ve seen on tape is real. Ultra-excited about him because the difference between him and Jalon is, James has been a natural edge guy. He knows the intricacies and different things of the position, so he’s hitting the ground running.”

The Falcons also drafted defensive backs Xavier Watts (Notre Dame) and Billy Bowman Jr. (Oklahoma), and both are eager to compete.

“We put veterans with young guys,” assistant head coach Jerry Gray said. “We want to see: What are you going to do? We put you out there. Are you going to be the guy that’s, ‘Oh, I really love them,’ or, ‘You know what, this is my job now’?”

2. Outside expectations do not affect Bijan Robinson.

Staying on the offensive side of the ball, Bijan Robinson is expected to be a big contributor in the Falcons’ offense. However, outside expectations mean nothing to the third-year running back.

“I can promise you, his goals and aspirations are probably higher than anybody outside of the building,” running backs coach Michael Pitre said. “He’s been a really good football player for a really long time, and so because of that, he’s learned, probably better than most, how to just kind of — this is who I am. This is what I do.”

Robinson had a solid rookie campaign, and he had a breakout season in 2024, rushing for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground and another through the air.

The next step for him is to “consistently hit those home-run plays,” according to Pitre.

“And it’s not searching for them,” Pitre said. “It’s just letting it come to him and being able to do some small tweaks and some things that can help him in the open field, but also not taking away his natural running ability and instincts.”

To reach that next level, Pitre shared that the Falcons will recreate a game setting for Robinson. This will allow him to stimulate the angles a defense will take against him, which will ideally translate into a game setting.

3. The team is confident in Ryan Neuzil as its center.

It is no surprise that the coaching staff spoke highly of Ryan Neuzil when asked about him on Wednesday. However, offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford went above and beyond to praise the lineman’s work ethic.

“He’s about the grind,” Ledford said. “He’s just a gritty guy that’s going to do things that you don’t really notice, but he’s going to go above and beyond.”

Neuzil is participating in the Falcons’ offseason activities despite remaining unsigned. He is expected to be the starting center after Drew Dalman left for the Bears in free agency.

“That’s Ryan,” said Ledford, who recruited Neuzil while coaching offensive line at Appalachian State. “Ryan just wants to go out and work. He’s about being out there with the guys. He’s about continuing to learn, continuing to grow as a player. He’s a guy that’s going to roll up his sleeves and go to work every day.”

Neuzil displays a tremendous work ethic, but his coaches also believe he possesses the required skills of a starting center. The fifth-year veteran commands the huddle, knows how to manage the play clock and is assertive when making calls. Neuzil is also athletic enough to play in space but can block.

“We’re excited about (Neuzil) leading the charge to the offensive line,” said offensive coordinator Zach Robinson. “I didn’t know Neuz until I got here, and then obviously, once I started seeing just the way that he works and his approach, he’s got a great demeanor.”

4. The Falcons are analyzing “everything” in the kicking competition.

Marquice Williams did not provide a simple answer when asked what he looks for in a kicking competition. Instead, the special teams coordinator said “everything.”

“It’s your preparation, your process, how you operate, how you carry yourself as a professional, your mindset, your fundamentals, your techniques,” Williams said. “You may miss a kick, but were your fundamentals good?”

The Falcons’ kicking competition includes returner Younghoe Koo and Lenny Krieg, who previously played in the English Football League.

Koo only made 73.5% of his field-goal attempts in 2024, which marked a career low for seasons he recorded at least seven tries. Williams did not appear worried about the inconsistency since Koo’s fundamentals were sound.

“There were some other variables that happened, which we got cleaned up,” Williams said. “That’s what makes Koo the person he is. He’s process-driven. He’s locked into what he’s doing.”

Koo and Krieg are competing for the starting job, but the competition is no different from any other season.

“There’s no bad egos in the room,” Williams said. “Guys understand it’s a competition each and every day. That’s the mindset in the room, whether there’s an extra kicker here, or we don’t have a kicker here.”