FLOWERY BRANCH – Former Minnesota linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, the Falcons' fourth-round pick in the NFL draft Saturday, plans to be all business when he arrives for the Falcons' rookie minicamp Thursday.
Campbell, an athletic linebacker, along with offensive guard Wes Schweitzer and speedy wide receiver Devin Fuller, were selected by the Falcons on Saturday.
“My mindset coming in, is that I’m coming in to play,” Campbell said. “I’m not coming in to sit, or redshirt or wait. I’m coming in to play. My mindset from this point out is when I get there, it’s all business.
“It’s cool to do other things on the side, but I’m not coming there to wait or sit behind anybody. I’m coming in to play. That’s my whole point of coming to Atlanta is to help and contribute toward winning a championship.”
The Falcons drafted safety Keanu Neal in the first round Thursday, linebacker Deion Jones in the second round and tight end Austin Hooper in the third round on Friday.
“We talked from the beginning of this process that we were going to be balanced and that we were going to be open-minded to both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, ” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “We felt we did that with three on each side (of the ball). We felt that we added speed, athleticism, character, passion and competitiveness.”
The Falcons immediately shifted to working on signing undrafted players. Earlier in the day, the team sent a recruitment video to agents advising them on why they should consider the Falcons.
“We look forward to bringing those guys on board,” coach Dan Quinn said.
Campbell, 6-foot 3 5/8 inches and 232 pounds, knows that he may have to first impress the Falcons on special teams.
“Whether that means being the starting (weakside) or (strongside) linebacker or even (playing) on special teams,” Campbell said. “I’m a complete team player. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get on the field and contribute toward winning a championship.”
Falcons director of college scouting Steve Sabo said that Campbell is a potential three-down linebacker and projects to play on special teams.
“He also brings a physical presence,” Sabo said.
Campbell was an academic qualifier coming out of high school, but elected to attend Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, where he played defensive end. He went to Minnesota and was converted into a linebacker in 2013.
“I played both inside and outside at Minnesota, primarily outside,” Campbell said. “In our nickel package, I subbed in and out a little bit. After talking to (Falcons linebackers coach) Jeff (Ulbrich), he was primarily talking about having me at the (weakside), although I have a history of being able to play both. That versatility is great, being able to do both things.”
Campbell, who had 92 tackles and four sacks last season for the Gophers, has been working hard to improve his play. The knock on his game is that he doesn’t have linebacker instincts and that he over-runs plays.
He spent the pre-draft process working on his pass-rushing skills with former Falcons great Chuck Smith, who’s now a pass-rush coach.
“I have a lot of room for improvement in terms of pass rush,” Campbell said. “Pass rush is not something that is natural. It’s something that you have to work on. It’s a skill. It has to be taught.”
He was training with Smith in Orlando, Fla., for two and half months.
“It’s something that I feel like I can take the next step in my game to help me become an even better player,” Campbell said. “I focus on having no weaknesses and that was one of the things that I knew needed to work on. I have the skill set to be a dominate pass rusher.”
Campbell believes that he’s made strides under Smith.
“He’s trained some very big-name guys,” Campbell said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He really emphasized me utilizing my speed because he says that speed is something that you can’t teach.
“Either you have it or you don’t. Speed rushes and counters. He tells me to try to make offensive linemen uncomfortable.”
In the sixth round, the Falcons selected former San Jose State offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer. He was a wrestler in high school before adding 80 pounds.
“I went to state as a junior,” Schweitzer said. “I wrestled at 189. I gained 80 pounds for senior year of high school and then I didn’t wrestle after that. I played football.”
He played tackle in college, but will play guard for the Falcons.
With their final pick of the draft, in the seventh round, the Falcons selected UCLA wide receiver Devin Fuller, a speedster who was recruited by UCLA as a quarterback. He also returned kicks and punts for the Bruins.
“I’m just happy to be a apart of the Falcons and add that deep threat,” Fuller said.
Fuller's mother is Cindy Mizelle, a backup singer who's toured with Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross.
About the Author
