Sports
Sports

Falcons making most of southern advantage

Calvin Ridley (26th): Wide receiver caught at least one pass in all 44 games of his career at Alabama. Isaiah Oliver (58th): Defensive back had 32 passes defensed, 10th in school history, in three-year career at Colorado. Deadrin Senat (90th): Defensive tackle had 178 tackles, 23.5 for a loss, and seven sacks, in four years at South Florida. Ito Smith (126th): Running back led team in rushing in each of this four seasons at Southern Miss. Russell Gage (194th): Wide receiver had 347 receiving yards and 232
By Chris Vivlamore
April 29, 2018

Falcons General manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn want to make the most of their southeastern advantage.

So far, so good.

The team used four of its six picks in the 2018 NFL Draft this weekend on deep south products. First-round wide receiver Calvin Ridley and third-round defensive tackle Deadrin Senat hail from Florida. Fourth-round running back Ito Smith is from Alabama. Sixth-round special teams ace Russell Gage is from Louisiana.

“The coolest part about living down here is we are in football country in the SEC,” Quinn said. “That’s Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU. Man, this is where it’s at. You can see that happens in the draft, happened in the first round.”

LSU has been the biggest beneficiary of the Falcons’ philosophy. Since Quinn’s arrival, the Falcons have taken a Tiger in every draft: Jalen Collins, Deion Jones, Duke Riley and Gage.

> Full story on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.

Follow Chris Vivlamore on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Ohio State fans jeer quarterback Arch Manning (center) and the rest of the Texas Longhorns after the third-ranked Buckeyes beat the top-ranked Longhorns 14-7 on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Sara Diggins/AP)

Credit: AP

SEC temperature check: Alabama, Texas losses headline conference’s weekend

UGA once again failed to cover the spread after being favored by 38 or more points, but Texas and Alabama may have far bigger issues after both started the year with losses.

Austin Simmons throws 3 TD passes, No. 21 Mississippi routs Georgia State 63-7

Austin Simmons completed 20 of 31 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 21 Mississippi rout Georgia State 63-7 on Saturday night in the opener for both teams

Dream clinch playoff spot, continue push for higher seeding

The Atlanta Dream rolled past the shorthanded Dallas Wings 100-78 on Friday at Gateway Center Arena, punching their ticket to the WNBA postseason.

The Latest

Ohio State fans jeer quarterback Arch Manning (center) and the rest of the Texas Longhorns after the third-ranked Buckeyes beat the top-ranked Longhorns 14-7 on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Sara Diggins/AP)

Credit: AP

SEC temperature check: Alabama, Texas losses headline conference’s weekend

Atlanta TV sports listings

Austin Simmons throws 3 TD passes, No. 21 Mississippi routs Georgia State 63-7

Featured

An aerial view captures a large area under construction for a new data center campus on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Developed by QTS, the data center campus near Fayetteville is one of the largest under construction in Georgia. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Georgia could restart regional energy, water reviews for data center proposals

Georgia is weighing rule changes to once again make certain data centers disclose information about their resource requirements to local planning authorities.

From Ponzi fallout to party power: Frost dynasty clings to Coweta GOP

By the end of the two-hour meeting, Brant Frost V had stepped down as Coweta County GOP chair. But in a show of his continued influence, he took on a new role.

After a decade of delays, $148M renovation to Cross Keys High begins

The $148 million project is expected to be completed in 2028. The school, which serves about 1,600 students, will remain open during construction.