FLOWERY BRANCH — With the dust starting to settle after a frenzied free-agency period, the Falcons still have some issues to address concerning their pass-rush.
The Falcons re-signed defensive end Adrian Clayborn (16 career sacks), defensive end/tackle Derrick Shelby (five), linebackers Sean Weatherspoon (eight) and Courtney Upshaw (five). The Falcons ranked last in the NFL with 19 sacks last season and have not turned their focus to the coming draft, which is set for April 28-30 in Chicago.
“What’s been hard for a lot of people is these quarterbacks get rid of the ball pretty fast, now,” NFL Network’s Charles Davis said. “And that’s made it very difficult. So, we’re trying to take numbers from guys getting the five, seven-step drop and hanging in the pocket and getting it, and it’s harder and harder to get that now. So, you have to get your numbers in different ways.”
Davis, like Falcons coach Dan Quinn and former coach Mike Smith, talks about harassing the quarterback, blocking passes, getting hurries, hits and moving the quarterback off his preferred passing spot. However, in Super Bowl 50, Denver used old-fashioned sacks to help them take down Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
“Can they get their hands up and knock the ball away sometimes like a J.J. Watt, who is so famous for doing that,” Davis said. “These guys are taught that because a lot of times the ball is snapped, and you might get two, three steps in towards the quarterback, and you better get your hands up because the ball’s on its way out. But developing these guys and getting them is never an easy thing anyway.”
Davis believes the top edge rushers in the draft are Joey Bosa of Ohio State and Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd of Clemson.
“I think Dodd kind of equates to me like Ziggy Ansah coming out of BYU, not a ton of experience, although Dodd grew up in the United States and knew a little more about American football, he only played one year of high school and had one year of production at Clemson,” Davis noted. “We weren’t sure what we were getting, but he’s been one of the top 10 in the draft because it’s such a premium on pass rushers.”
The Falcons, who hold the 17th pick in the draft, are looking at all of the top pass-rushing defensive ends and linebackers. They were disappointed when Georgia standout Leonard Floyd couldn’t finished his Pro Day workout.
“A lot of these guys are still outside linebackers in college,” Davis said. “That’s where your pass rushers are coming from as well. You have one in Atlanta that’s playing a full-scale defensive end that they drafted in the first round last year (Vic Beasley). So, they’re still trying to get that sorted out. And Dan and his crew are very, very creative in figuring out ways to get those guys on the field and turn them loose.”
The Falcons may try to follow the old Indianapolis plan. With Peyton Manning at the controls, the Colts went up by two touchdowns early on a lot of teams and then unleashed smallish and fast defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
“People worried about how they’d hold up in the run game,” Davis said. “How did they help them? With offense. It’s the old joke. You’re starting up 14-0, so your pass rush becomes something. So, that’s one way teams do it.”
Boise State’s Kamalei Correa, Stony Brook’s Victor Ochi and Grand Valley State’s Matt Judon are players with pass-rush skills who likely will be available in the middle rounds of the draft. Although Correa is started to creep into the late first round of some mock drafts.
“Correa is one of my favorite players, the ideal outside linebacker can really rush,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “He’s got a great motor.”
