Even though the Falcons recently signed one of the top free-agent defensive ends in Osi Umenyiora, they still could address the position in the NFL draft.
On Tuesday, the Falcons had one of the top defensive end prospects, Florida State’s Tank Carradine, in to visit the facilities and meet the coaches.
“I’ve always liked the Falcons since I was a little boy and they had Michael Vick,” Carradine said Monday via phone before his visit. “I’m very excited about going to visit them.”
Carradine, is a pass-rushing defensive end who’s battling back from ACL knee surgery. He moved to Houston after the season in order to train with Russ Paine of IronMan Sports Medical Institute. Paine supervised Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s dramatic recovery from a similar injury last season.
Carradine believes he’s ahead of schedule and will be ready for a workout scheduled for April 20 in Cincinnati, his hometown.
In addition to visiting the Falcons, Carradine has met with Baltimore, Philadelphia and an undisclosed NFC South team.
Carradine was having a fine senior season for the Seminoles when he suffered the injury against Florida on Nov. 24. He had 11 sacks in 12 games.
He is taking an aggressive approach with the injury and hopes to return to the field by August. Peterson’s return last season has changed how players are attempting to recovery from ACL injuries.
Carradine has been on a rigorous five-days-a-week, two-times-a-day workout schedule. The first session goes from 10 a.m. to noon and the second from 4-6 p.m.
“I’m just getting myself together and getting prepared for the draft,” Carradine said. “I’m rehabbing my knee.”
On his visits, the knee is the first topic of conversation.
“They are asking about the injury, but I tell them that I’m healthy and stuff,” Carradine said.
Coming out of high school, Carradine committed to Illinois, but ended up at Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he had 26 sacks over two seasons. As a junior at FSU, he had 5.5 sacks.
In the NFL, where rushing the passer is a premium, a player who can pass rush is a valuable commodity.
Carradine is projected to go as high as late in the first round or early in the second. The Falcons hold the 30th pick in the first round of the draft, which is for April 25-27.
“I want them to say ‘back in those days when Tank Carradine played, he was a guy that always helped his team get to the playoffs every year,’” Carradine said. “‘He was a guy that played in the Super Bowl.’ I just want to be that guy.”
NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has Carradine and Texas’ Alex Okafor rated as tied for the fifth best defensive end in the draft behind Bjoern Werner (Florida State), Ezekiel Ansah (BYU), Damontre Moore (Texas A&M) and Sam Montgomery (LSU).
“Somebody’s going to get a steal with this kid because of his natural upside,” Mayock said.
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