FLOWERY BRANCH – With the regular-season finale Sunday, Falcons’ rookies can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
For most of them, it’s been non-stop activity for more than a year:
-End of the 2021 college season.
-Pre-draft rigors (including NFL combine for some) followed by draft and offseason work.
-NFL training camp followed 20 exhibition and regular-season games.
“Yeah, I feel tired, but it’s more on the mental side of everything,” said receiver Drake London, the No. 8 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. “Just everything that comes with the game. All of the new things that I’ve been learning since I got here.”
Players will get a chance to take a deep breath for a little while after Sunday’s finale against Tampa Bay at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We do have to decompress after this,” said London, who has had 25 catches over the past four games.. “That goes for across the league. You have to be locked in for these 20 weeks or so including (exhibition) season. It’s mentally draining for sure.”
London noted that the long, connected college and NFL seasons can be tough on rookies.
“Then going into the draft, preparing for it,” London said. “In my situation, I was just trying to get back to even walking and running. It takes a toll on the body, but it’s what we signed up for.”
“For us, it’s the maturation process of the player,” Falcons offensive coordinator Dave Ragone said. “It’s just not the physical, it’s the ability of them, day-in and day-out, and it is a grind for young guys to come in.”
Second-round picks – outside Arnold Ebiketie and inside linebacker Troy Andersen – have contributed on defense.
Ebiketie, who was slowed by a wrist injury, has played in 15 games and made one start. He has played 498 defensive snaps and has 30 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Andersen has played in 16 games and made four starts. He has played 429 defensive snaps and 255 special-teams snaps. He has 65 tackles and a blocked punt.
“It’s been a long season, but the beauty of it is how much better we got throughout this whole season,” Ebiketie said. “I feel like I’m a different player than I was when the season started. That’s the good that you can take out of it and just build on it going into the offseason to work on some of the deficiencies.”
Quarterback Desmond Ridder and linebacker backer DeAngelo Malone were taken in the third round.
Ridder is set to start his fourth game Sunday and is looking for his first touchdown pass. The Falcons are 1-2 in his starts.
Malone has played in 14 games and has 26 tackles. He has played 197 defensive snaps and 195 snaps on special teams.
Running back Tyler Allgeier was taken in the fifth round and has had a monster rookie season. He’s rushed for 186 times for 900 yards and three touchdowns.
Offensive lineman Justin Shaffer and tight end John FitzPatrick were taken in the sixth round. Both recently were activated from injured reserve. Shaffer had a high ankle sprain and FitzPatrick had surgery on both feet.
“We’ve had to stop having them wear their Georgia Bulldog outfits instead of the Falcons sometimes now that they are in the NFL,” Ragone quipped. “But the reality is, right, those guys, every time that they line up, it’s experience. Regardless of if it’s a game or practice.”
Undrafted rookies Timothy Horne, a defensive tackle, and Jared Bernhardt, a wide receiver, and linebacker Nate Landman have seen the field.
Horne has played in all 16 games and made four starts. Bernhardt played in two games early in the season before suffering a groin/hamstring injury. Landman saw some special-teams duties and had a quarterback hit in the San Francisco game in Week 6.
“I think they’ve all done well as rookies,” defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. “I think they all have developed. I think they’ve all gotten better and that’s what your looking for. Are they better now than they were at the (beginning) of the season. I think that you can see that.”
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The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11 Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18 Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 Commanders 19, Falcons 13
Dec. 4 Steelers 19, Falcons 16
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 Saints 21, Falcons 18
Dec. 24 Ravens 17, Falcons 9
Jan. 1 Falcons 20, Cardinals 19
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
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