Flowery Branch – The Falcons, despite having the opportunity to do so in several rounds of the NFL draft, elected not to pick any pass rushers.
The Falcons were last in the league in sacks last season with 19, but with one of the nation’s top pass rushers on the board in Clemson’s Shaq Lawson, they reached for Florida safety Keanu Neal in the first-round with the 17th overall pick.
“We were pretty true to our board, as we are every year, and I think that came down to really having those discussions with (Falcons head coach) Dan (Quinn) and his staff,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “We don’t feel like we reached on anything.”
Neal, who had a 5.88 grade by NFL.com, was the third-lowest graded player taken in the first-round. Only Indianapolis pick center Ryan Kelly (5.87) and Seattle guard Germain Ifedi (5.86) were taken in the first-round and were graded lower than Neal.
Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland (6.47), Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee (6.27), Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson (6.2) and Mississippi defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (6.32) were defensive players all graded higher than Neal by the league’s own website.
“We felt like we stayed true to making sure that we were putting players in the spots .. where we needed more depth or we needed more competition,” Dimitroff said. “I can’t stress that enough. I just really think that we were thoughtful in that approach, and we weren’t whimsical about just going out there and trying to pull something and take a chance on someone.”
Also, the Falcons made a move on Neal because they felt Pittsburgh or Carolina would take him and that he wouldn’t be available in the second round.
Pittsburgh and Carolina didn’t select a safety in the draft although it was a need position for them, too.
T.J. Green (57th to Colts) and Vonn Bell (60th to Saints) were the next safeties taken after Neal, in the second round and after the Falcons’ picked Deion Jones, a smallish linebacker with only 12 SEC starts, with the 52nd pick.
Boise State strong safety Darian Thompson, a 6-foot- 2-inch, 208 pound enforcer, was the next safety to go in the third round (71st overall).
So, the Falcons could have selected Lee and Bell or the hard-hitting Thompson and had their safety and speedy linebacker combination.
In the third round, the Falcons made a strong move by selecting tight end Austin Hopper. He may be better than Hunter Henry, who was the top tight end selected in the draft.
“He’s going to do all he can to get better and work on his craft,” Dimitroff said. “(He received) ringing endorsements from (Stanford coach) David Shaw.”
The Falcons are hoping that Hopper can turn into a red zone threat.
“We had our struggles there at times, and this kid has got he’s got huge hands,” Dimitroff said. “He’s got an ability to be aggressive down in the red zone, and he’s going to be a really nice element to mix in with what we already have there.”
Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who’s 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds and was taken in the fourth round, is an intriguing prospect. The Falcons must develop him because his instincts are lacking.
“We’ve seen him cover both man-to-man (and) on the tight end,” Quinn said. “He’s been outside on the slot in the system that they played, so he’s been a stack-backer the last few years at Minnesota.”
The Falcons didn’t have a fifth-round pick because of the noise gate scandal. Tennessee selected Southern Utah cornerback LeShaun Sims in the slot where the Falcons would have been picking.
In the sixth round, the Falcons may have found a late-round gem in Wes Schweitzer, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound, lineman. He played tackle at San Jose State, but will play guard for the Falcons. He could be a starter down the road.
“This is an extremely tough competitor,” Quinn said. “(Falcons assistant offensive line coach) Keith Carter coached him for a year at San Jose.”
In the seventh round, the Falcons took UCLA receiver Devin Fuller, who’s also a returner. Quinn cautioned against suggesting that he’s the replacement in case Devin Hester doesn’t return from toe surgery.
“Again, to get him in the seventh round, though not overly productive this year, he had more production last year, we’re looking for him to continue to develop,” Dimitroff said.
So, even after passing on Lawson early, the pass-rush starved Falcons didn’t even go after a developmental pass-rusher like Victor Ochi from Stoneybrook, who went undrafted and signed with the Ravens.
The Falcons clearly didn’t have this group of pass-rushers rated very highly.
“I thought this year’s class featured some really good inside guys, and I think that showed all the way through the draft,” Quinn said. “Although there were some good guys, maybe not as many as another year… I don’t know if I wasn’t impressed, but there wasn’t as high a number, put it that way.”
The Falcons, who made some minor moves in free agency, believe the answer to the pass-rush problem is currently on the roster.
“We added (defensive end/tackle Derrick) Shelby,” Quinn said. “We’re moving (Adrian) Clayborn out to (defensive) end. We’re hoping (Brooks) Reed comes alive. He was big-time injured last year. We know he’s got pass rush to him, and we’ll develop some of the guys to come through.
“It’s not just go out (and get somebody), it’s also the guys that are here in the building. We’ll get them better, too, you can count on that.”
