Atlanta Falcons Projected 2012 Offensive Line

After the Falcons used their first two picks in the 2012 NFL Draft to bolster their offensive line, everyone began thinking about how immediate an impact these players could make on the upcoming edition of the Falcons. I think that one of these players will fit in immediately, and one will not play until at least several years down the road.

Peter Konz is a fine player, and he was drafted to be the future at the Center position for the Atlanta Falcons. Todd McClure is on his curtain call with the Falcons, and we need someone to replace him. Konz is, and will definitely be that player. However, I think that during the 2012 season, McClure will start at C, and Konz will start at Right Guard. That is even the position that Alge Crumpler identified Konz as playing, and Mike Mayock and Coach Billick said Konz will start out at. So far we have McClure going one more year at C, with Konz playing right off the bat at RG. And to be honest, I couldn’t be happier about that. It should solve all of our interior line issues.

The other pick is Lamar Holmes. I don’t mean to trample all over this selection, but if he were to be a starter he would be the starter in 2014 rather than in 2012. He could end up being a great player down the road, but right now he is just so very raw and needs so much coaching in the run game that it would be foolish to think that he would even be on the gameday roster.

One other interesting note is that the Falcons have made public that they will carry 9 offensive line on their 53-man roster, and 7 on their active gameday roster. So, without further ado, here is my offensive line starting lineup with backups listed next:

Left Tackle: Will Svitek, Sam Baker

Left Guard: Justin Blalock

Center: Todd McClure

Right Guard: Peter Konz, Vince Manuwai

Right Tackle: Tyson Clabo

Gameday Inactives: Joe Hawley, Mike Johnson?

I’m not completely sure who will be the 9th offensive lineman, but I think this will be pretty close to what we see for the 2012 Falcons. I’ll get an article out soon with statistics as to why shoring up RG not LT was the biggest need for the Falcons.

What do you think of my projected 2012 offensive line?