Former Florida and Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks heads up the official list of undrafted players signed by the Falcons on Monday.
Franks, who’s 6-foot-6 and 228 pounds, transferred to Arkansas as a graduate student in 2019 after losing his starting job with the Gators following an ankle injury.
He started nine games for the Razorbacks and completed 163 of 238 passes for 2,107 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2020.
Franks will join Matt Ryan and A.J. McCarron as the three quarterbacks on the roster.
The Falcons didn’t take any running backs in the draft, but are set to sign Louisville’s Javian Hawkins and Ball State’s Caleb Huntley.
“We talked about running backs throughout the draft, and we went through it,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “There were times that running backs were in our clumps and we took a player over them. We discussed running backs throughout the draft. “
Hawkins, who’s 5-9 and 182 pounds, rushed for a school-record 1,525 yards in 2019 and was named All-ACC second team.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Huntley, who’s 5-9 and 229 pounds, played at Locust Grove High. He rushed 576 times for 2,902 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and 21 touchdowns over his career. He only caught 19 passes for 81 yards.
“Just one thing you’ll realize, from us, the depth chart is never set,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “You don’t all of a sudden, ‘Work’s over, let’s go, Week 1.’ You guys know. You guys have been covering this stuff for a long time. Our mindset, every position, we’re going to look.”
Here’s a look at the Falcons’ unofficial list of undrafted players:
OFFENSE
Javian Hawkins, RB, Louisville
Caleb Huntley, RB, Ball State (Locust Grove)
Antonio Nunn, WR, Buffalo
Ryan Neuzil, OG, Appalachian State
John Raine, TE, Northwestern
Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas
Jack Batho IV, OT, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Austin Trammell, WR, Rice
Bryce Hargrove, OL, Pittsburgh
Joe Sculthorpe, OL, N.C. State
Kion Smith, OT, Fayetteville State
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
DEFENSE
Zac Dawe, DT, Brigham Young
Dorian Etheridge, ILB, Louisville
Eli Howard, OLB, Texas Tech
Kobe Jones, DE/LB, Mississippi State
Marcus Murphy, CB, Mississippi
J.R. Pace, CB, Northwestern (Woodward Academy)
Alani Pututau, DE, Adams State
Erroll Thompson, LB, Mississippi State
Dwayne Johnson Jr., S, San Diego State
AJC’S POSITION-BY-POSITION NFL DRAFT SERIES
QUARTERBACKS: How far will Justin Fields drop in draft? | Top 10 QBs
RUNNING BACKS: Plenty of prospects to pick from | Top 10 RBs
WIDE RECEIVERS: Draft deep with talent | Top 10 WRs
TIGHT ENDS: Ability to create mismatches is key | Top 10 TEs
OFFENSIVE TACKLES: A ‘nasty’ bunch | Top 10 OTs
OFFENSIVE GUARDS/CENTERS: The men in the middle | Top 10 C/OGs
END RUSHERS: Pass on this draft stock | Top 10 DEs
DEFENSIVE TACKLES: One star among lackluster block | Top 10 DTs
LINEBACKERS: Deep class for position | Top 10 LBs
CORNERBACKS: Plethora of options for first two rounds | Top 10 CBs
SAFETIES: Falcons likely will add position player | Top 10 Safeties
The Bow Tie Chronicles Podcasts
For more content about the Atlanta Falcons
Follow me on Twitter @DorlandoAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now
