Falcons ’08 Draft Wrap-Up (rounds 1-3)
OTA’s are in the books. Training camp is under a month away and there is so much to talk about.
First off let’s address the draft…..
I will start with pick #3 round 1 Matt Ryan QB Boston College
The pick was good, not great. A safe pick to be sure but does it help us win now? I am not sure. Glenn Dorsey was availble to help take the place of Rod Coleman and protect against the run. Shore up the D-line and could be a monster requiring double teams and allowing for sacks by Jamaal Anderson and John Abraham. Ryan is a good player, but is he going to play right away? I doubt it, Redman has already been named as the starter and why throw Matt to the wolves when you have Joey Harrington on your roster as a walking cautionary tale for bad QB development. Please don’t get me wrong I think he will be good. Who knows maybe very very good. But Arthur Blank wanted a new face and he got it. After the fiasco that was Vick who can blame the guy.
Pick # 21 Round 1 Sam Baker OT USC
This is the very definition of a reach pick. We traded up into the bottom of the 1st round so that we could get a guy who really should have gone in the 2nd round. He is a good guy but I really am not sure he is the LT they expect him to be. The guy isn’t Joe Thomas or Johnathan Ogden but he won multiple awards in college and I think he will be a very good addition to a line in desperate need of help. Heck I have been wrong before and in this case I hope I am.
Pick #37 Round 2 Curtis Lofton LB Oklahoma
How much can I say how I love this pick, enough that I think this guy could be a very good pick up at this position in the draft. First off he is a middle linebacker, something Atlanta has desperately needed for some time since Jesse Tuggle I feel Lofton can be that kind of player, he led OU in tackles and is a good charater guy from what I have read as well. He will bring flexability and much needed depth to what surly will be a strength for the birds in ’08.
Pick #68 Round 3 Chevis Jackson CB LSU
The Falcons front office does it again! I have seen one great video of this guy after another and he just looks good. He is fast, not D’Angelo Hall fast but he reacts well and the thing that jumps out to me is that he isn’t afraid to tackle. It’s things like that which really stand out for me since it speaks volumes about a guy who will do whatever it takes to make a play.
Pick #84 Round 3 Harry Douglas WR Louisville
Long Lean with good hands. He isn’t a big guy. Kind of reminds me of a Keyshawn Johnson type player. Won’t burn you on the field but makes up for it with the ability to run crisp routes and catch balls thrown at him. He was drafted for depth and since you just never know what you will get from a Falcons WR it is better to be safe than sorry.
Pick #98 Round 3 Thomas DeCoud S California
Reminds me a lot of Roy Williams. He is not a good guy against the pass and is just OK against the run, he needs development. I think he is a special teams guy all the way.
The Bird Speaks!