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Atlanta Falcons: Grading the past four first-round draft picks

By Freddie Boston

Aug 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant (21) walks through the tunnel before their game against the Miami Dolphins at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant (21) walks through the tunnel before their game against the Miami Dolphins at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley (44) runs during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley (44) runs during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi /

2015: Vic Beasley

Vic Beasley was selected with the eighth overall pick last year, and for now it’s impossible to give him a grade. As we saw with Matthews, a player can make a jump in year two, or similarly regress.

Beasley didn’t record as many sacks as the Falcons would have liked in his debut campaign, but he still led the team with four and did a lot of great work that the stat sheets don’t pick up. After the season, we learned Beasley had been playing with a torn labrum which held him back.

In his second season, we can expect a big jump for the Clemson product. He ranked 51st among edge defenders by Pro Football Focus, and it will be interesting to see how much better he can do in 2016. The Raiders’ star Khalil Mack — ranked first among edge defenders — also posted four sacks as a rookie, but tallied 15 in his second season.

Being selected in the top-ten, Atlanta needs Beasley to be a game-changer consistently in the face of opposing quarterbacks. The defense put together just 19 sacks in 2015, and Beasley making a jump will be a key part of this number rising.

Grade: Incomplete

Next: Overall

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