FLOWERY BRANCH — With their second-round NFL draft pick, the Falcons continued to build for the future and put immediate needs on the backburner. One night after using the No. 8 pick on a quarterback who may not be a starter until 2026, general manager Terry Fontenot traded up for a player at a position where the roster is relatively stable.
Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is coming into a good situation to develop, as he’ll be in a position group with Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata and Kentavius Street, among others. The Falcons have clear needs at edge rusher and cornerback, but those will have to wait for later picks.
That doesn’t mean Orhorhoro, who was a productive defender for the Tigers, can’t crack the lineup immediately and contribute. Jarrett, a former Clemson star like his new teammate, is returning from an ACL tear. Orhorhoro (pronounced oh-roh-roh-roh) also can fit at defensive end in new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake’s 3-4 scheme. And the Falcons do need to fortify their run defense.
In a quick videoconference with media, Orhorhoro described himself as a player willing to do dirty work and “run into that dark alley with you.” That sounds like the right mindset for a defensive tackle.
But he’s not plugging a hole that the Falcons needed to fill. He would seem to fit the “best player available” approach that Fontenot has espoused, and Fontenot coveted him enough to trade up for him, sending the Cardinals their second-round pick (43rd) and one of their third-rounders (79th) to move up to No. 35 and also take Arizona’s sixth-round pick (No. 186).
The pick fits another Fontenot pattern – after taking offensive skill players in the first round of his four drafts, he’s gone defense in the second round three years out of four. He picked safety Richie Grant in 2021, defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and linebacker Troy Andersen in 2022 and now Orhorhoro.
Grant and Ebiketie have not been impact players, though Ebiketie may be on his way there. Andersen looked like he was on the verge of becoming one last season before a shoulder/pectoral injury limited him to two games last season. Not a great ratio for the round.
Like new quarterback Michael Penix Jr., taken with the No. 8 overall pick Thursday night, Orhorhoro was selected ahead of when media-generated draft boards might have pegged. Draft guru Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, for instance, had Penix at No. 35 and Orhorhoro at No. 62.
In the pick after Orhorhoro, Washington took a defensive tackle rated much higher by Jeremiah and others (Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton).
Best player available is a fine strategy, and making picks that don’t fit media draft boards is not a big deal. It just has to work.
