Best Case Scenario: Falcons’ Offensive Lineman Joe Hawley
Part One: Shann Schillinger
Part Two: Kerry Meier
Part Three: Dominique Franks
Part four of our seven-part series detailing the best case scenarios for the Atlanta Falcons’ 2010 draft picks continues with their fourth round draft pick: Offensive Lineman Joe Hawley.
Using data from the last 10 NFL drafts (2000-2009), I focused on offensive lineman drafted in the fourth round to give us an idea of what Hawley’s ideal rookie season might look like. What have players, who play his position and were drafted in the same round, done in the last 10 years?
Hit the jump for the comparison.
Top rookie campaigns for fourth round Offensive Lineman since 2000.
| Player | Team | Year | Stats |
| Jahri Evans | Saints | 2006 | Started 16 games for a 10-6 team. |
| Ben Hamilton | Broncos | 2002 | Started 16 games for a 9-7 team. |
| Steve Sciullo | Colts | 2003 | Started 13 games for a 12-4 team. |
| Dan Buenning | Buccaneers | 2005 | Started 16 games for an 11-5 team. |
| David Stewart | Titans | 2006 | Started 14 games for an 8-8 team. |
Offensive lineman are never the sexy pick and most casual fans never pay attention to them unless they are getting penalized for holding or alowwing a Matt Ryan sack. They are, however, a crucial element to a team’s success and Hawley, if given the opportunity, might find his name on this list.
Will Hawley start any games this year? Will he be used in a rotation with the other starters? Was this pick made solely looking towards next year?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments or continue the conversation on Twitter.
More on Blogging Dirty
My thoughts on Hawley after the draft
Related Links
The Falcoholic’s Player Profile
The Official Falcons’ site bio of Hawley
D3 at the The Bird Cage breakdowns the pick of Hawley