Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and assistant general manager Scott Pioli were with the Patriots when they found the defensive backfield was in a bind in 2004.
They converted wide receiver Troy Brown to a cornerback to solve their shortage. The Falcons have a similar shortage this season.
After practice Thursday, Pioli had a conversation with wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, who’s 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds. After their meeting, Mitchell went over and worked with defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel.
The Falcons are searching for bigger cornerbacks to play in coach Dan Quinn’s 4-3 under scheme. They moved free safety Dezmen Southward (6-2, 210) to cornerback and drafted Jalen Collins (6-1, 203) in the second round.
After practice, Southward and Collins were working with Manuel before Mitchell came over.
Southward appears to still be adjusting to the conversion, while Collins has struggled in coverage.
During practice, Mitchell caught a come-back route with Collins in coverage and then put on a spin move and became free up the sidelines for a long gainer.
Desmond Trufant (6-0, 190) and Robert Alford (5-10, 186) have received most of the first-team snaps. Kevin White (5-10, 174), an undrafted free-agent cornerback from TCU, spent some time with the first team defense on Wednesday.
Mitchell, who politely declined to discuss the situation, was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft out of South Florida. Mitchell played in 16 games for the Browns and made three catches for 31 yards last season.
He knows the offense after playing under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan last season.
