Atlanta Falcons: Ranking the 2016 linebacking crew

1) Vic Beasley – SAM

I’m not sure how to feel about listing Vic Beasley as the Atlanta Falcons’ best linebacker. A part of me loves to think about it because he’s a super athletic 23-year-old that has a ton of potential. But the other part of me feels standoffish since he hasn’t even played linebacker in the NFL yet.

Fortunately for this article, Beasley’s potential outweighed the negative knocks. And let’s be real here, folks. Is there a better player right now amongst the linebacking crew better? Can any of the other six players bring more to the table than Beasley? No, they cannot.

The biggest misconception with the role of linebacker is that it isn’t a position in which you can be an effective pass rusher. Don’t tell that to Von Miller, Khalil Mack or Bruce Irvin. In fact, what Beasley will be doing at linebacker will be pretty close to what Irvin was doing in Dan Quinn’s system with the Seattle Seahawks.

Sure, Beasley won’t just be rushing the passer anymore. He will be dropping back into coverage more than he was a season ago, but you should still expect him to rush the passer at least 50 percent of the time. This is a smart move, but it’s a move that might not work right away. Expect some growing pains, but in the long run, this could be a terrific move for Beasley and the Falcons.