It’s standard for NFL prospects to say they don’t favor any team to draft them because there’s no reason to risk giving offense to any club and, besides, players prefer to be picked as high as possible so they can make the most money.
But defensive end Vic Beasley couldn’t help but stray from that script Thursday at Clemson’s Pro Day.
The native of Adairsville didn’t hesitate when asked his preferred destination when teams draft beginning April 30.
“I grew up a Falcons fan,” he said. “I would love to play for the Falcons. But wherever I go I’m going to honor that team and give my best effort.”
The stars seem aligned for Beasley to end up playing for his favorite team.
The Falcons have a new coach, Dan Quinn, who values pass rushers and the team is in desperate need of players who can fire off the edge and get to the quarterback. Beasley, Clemson’s all-time sacks leader, is among the best pass rushers in the draft.
The Falcons are set to pick No. 8 overall, which may have been too high to take Beasley before the pre-draft evaluations began. Beasley increased his value with an outstanding combine workout, in which the 15 pounds or so he’s gained since his final game at Clemson did nothing to hamper his athleticism.
“I knew I was going to put the numbers up at the combine, but a lot of people didn’t really pay attention to me (before),” Beasley said.
With the Falcons, Beasley could play what’s sort of a combination defensive end/linebacker in Quinn’s 4-3 “under” alignment.
Quinn’s defense uses a position called “Leo.” The player is smaller than a typical end and is primarily charged with rushing the passer from a position very wide of the weakside offensive tackle.
Cliff Avril plays the Leo position extensively for the Seahawks, and Bruce Irvin previously filled that role for Seattle. Beasley said some NFL personnel have said they could see him as a Leo.
“They ask me if I can play that Leo position similar to Bruce Irvin,” Beasley said. “That defensive end position, they already know I can play that.”
The proof is in Beasley’s prolific production for the Tigers.
In 48 games (25 starts) with 1,421 snaps Beasley totaled 33 sacks, 29 quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles. He was a consensus All-American as a junior and the ACC player of the year in 2014.
There were questions about whether Beasley had the size to play rush end in a 4-3 defense. Then he showed up at the combine with 246 pounds packed on his 6-foot-3 frame and ran 40 yards in 4.53 seconds, recorded a 41-inch vertical leap and bench-pressed 225 pounds 35 times.
Beasley’s combine numbers were so good that he skipped those drills at Clemson’s Pro Day. He did participate in linebacker drills because some teams want to evaluate him at that position and Beasley said he wasn’t satisfied with his performance in linebacker drills at the combine.
“It was to showcase that I’m a versatile player,” Beasley said. “I’m able to rush like I did at Clemson and also drop into space.”
All 32 NFL teams had representatives at Clemson. Head coaches in attendance included New England’s Bill Belichick, Philadelphia’s Chip Kelly and Buffalo’s Rex Ryan.
Beasley was the brightest talent on a Clemson defensive line that was among the best in the nation in 2014. The other linemen who worked out for scouts Thursday were ends Corey Crawford (Carver-Columbus High) and Tavaris Barnes and tackles Grady Jarrett (Rockdale County) and DeShawn Williams.
“They said they’ve never seen so many good defensive linemen coming out at the same time,” Williams said. “We put on a show. We are a special group.”
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