With his NFL roots in scouting, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is quick to extol the value of Senior Bowl week, which kicks off Monday with practice in Mobile, Ala.
“The Senior Bowl for us, for years, has been the All-Star game that attracts some of the best talent in the county,” Dimitroff said. “It’s an opportunity for us, in a sort of real-life practice forum, to compare some of the best players in the country.”
An added dimension this season has the Falcons’ staff coaching the North team. Jacksonville will coach the South team.
The game is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Some of the locals are upset that Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron elected to turn down his invitation, and agent Jim Sexton withdrew Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley from the game.
Still, there will be close to 100 seniors from across the country to evaluate, including 23 players from the SEC and 17 from the ACC.
“They do a fantastic job,” Dimitroff said. “Phil Savage has a really solid and sound understanding of how to put together an All-Star game like this, given his background in the National Football League.”
Savage was Cleveland’s general manager from 2005-08. He also worked with the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles in personnel.
“He stresses the importance of seeing drills that are appropriate and applicable for us evaluators and team builders to truly assess the talent that’s on the field,” Dimitroff said.
Georgia will be well-represented in the game.
Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch, Georgia Tech linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu and safety Jemea Thomas, Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon (Sprayberry High) and cornerback LaVelle Westbrooks (Riverdale), Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard (Twiggs County), Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith (Lowndes), Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith (Hardaway), Vanderbilt safety Kenny Ladler (Stephenson) and Alabama linebacker Adrian Hubbard (Norcross) are all set to play.
Dennard won the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s top cornerback. He’s projected to be a first-round pick by nfldraftscout.com.
In addition to McKinnon and Westbrooks, several other FCS level players, a Division II player and two Ivy league players are scheduled to play.
Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp, Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro and North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner have generated some pre-practice buzz.
Tripp went to the same school as Falcons defensive end/linebacker Kroy Biermann. Taliaferro rushed for 1,729 yards and 27 touchdowns last season, and Turner is 6-foot-6 and 314 pounds.
“This is a great opportunity for small-school guys to compete ostensibly against the top talent in the country,” Dimitroff said. “It gives them the opportunity to shine like Robert Alford did last year for us. It tends to open our eyes to the smaller school talent that will get a chance to go toe-to-toe against with the big boys in the NCAA.”
The Falcons’ staff will have the opportunity to more closely assess the character, disposition and football intelligence of the players they coach.
“This is fantastic for us to be coaching the game, and it should be a real benefit for us,” Dimitroff said.
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