FLOWERY BRANCH — Akeem Dent recognized the area code when it flashed on the screen of his phone.
He knew the number 770 meant he had a local call, and there’s only one team in the NFL with a 770 area code.
“I picked up the phone, and I was talking to Arthur Blank and then the head coach,” said Dent, an Atlanta native and former Georgia standout from Douglass High. “It was unbelievable.”
The Falcons used their third-round pick in the NFL draft, 91st overall, to select Dent late Friday.
On Saturday, the Falcons moved up in the fifth round. They traded their fifth-round pick (158th overall) and one of their seventh-round picks (229th) to move up 13 spots to select former Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers, a 5-foot-6, 198-pound dynamo.
They added punter Matt Bosher of Miami in the sixth round (192nd pick) and offensive guard Andrew Jackson of Fresno State and defensive end Cliff Matthews of South Carolina in the seventh round.
Dent was a Falcons fan for as long as he came remember.
“I’ve been here my whole life,” Dent said. “I’m proud of this team.”
His favorite player is former linebacker Jessie Tuggle, who also was a linebacker from a state school (Valdosta State).
“When he first came in, he was one of those guys they said was undersized,” Dent said. “He had a motor, and he had a nose for the football. I feel that I can take some of his game and install it into mine’s. I want to be one of those guys around the ball and being productive.”
The Falcons turned down a trade offer from an undisclosed team that was trying to move up to draft Dent.
“I’m just glad to be a Falcon right now,” Dent said.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Dent will be expected to contribute on special teams. Dent played outside and inside linebacker at Georgia.
“He’s a tough, hard-nosed guy who fits our scheme as a [middle] linebacker, but he also has the versatility to play all three positions,” Dimitroff said. “He will be a core special-teams player for us, which is very important.”
The Falcons also were impressed with Dent being one of Georgia’s captains and with him attaining his degree.
“He fits in line as far as what we believe in having the right locker room,” Dimitroff said. “He played in the SEC, and that speaks for itself. He knows football. He’s passionate about football.”
Dent has experience playing special teams.
“I’ve always had a knack for special teams,” Dent said. “I played on all four units when I was Georgia. That’s something that I’ve been doing since I was in high school.”
The Falcons were impressed with Dent’s versatility.
“If someone goes down, we feel like we have a player who can start if need be,” Dimitroff said. “As well, I want to stress him being rated very highly as a core special-teams player by not only our scouting staff, but by our special-teams coaches.”
He will start by learning the middle linebacker spot.
“Obviously, that’s a position that takes a lot of pounding,” Dimitroff said. “Curtis Lofton works through a lot and plays through injuries. We had to make sure that we have someone there to improve our depth.”
VanGorder connection
When Dent was a redshirt freshman at Georgia, he heard stories from the older Bulldogs about Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
VanGorder was Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2001-04. Georgia’s former defensive coordinator Willie Martinez used some of VanGorder’s terminology, so Dent is familiar with the Falcons’ calls.
“We found that out during his local workout when we sat him down and got a feel for his football knowledge,” Dimitroff said. “Again, that is helpful going into a year as far as maybe being backed up a little bit [by the lockout].”
Ball security
Rodgers ran for almost 4,000 yards in his career and didn’t have a fumble in 939 touches.
“Ball security is something that we worked on every day in practice,” said Rodgers, who will compete for one of the backup spots behind Pro Bowler Michael Turner.
As a freshman, Rodgers helped lead Oregon State to an upset over USC when they were ranked No. 1 in the nation.
“Our aim for him is to come in as a change-of-pace back for us,” Dimitroff said.
The study plan
With the labor situation uncertain, Falcons coach Mike Smith said the team will have a plan to get first-round pick Julio Jones up to speed fast if the lockout robs them of part or all of the offseason workouts.
“Julio has a wonderful football IQ,” Smith said. “When you sit down and talk to him about the game of football, he understands it.”
He can certainly start working on the playbook with backup quarterback John Parker Wilson, who was Jones’ quarterback when he was a freshman at Alabama.
Leg strength
The Falcons are preparing for possibly losing punter Michael Koenen in free agency. In addition to drafting Bosher, they also signed punter Ken Parrish on March 3. Bosher also handled kickoff chores for the Hurricanes.
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