Marlon Davidson is a great pick for the Atlanta Falcons

Marlon Davidson has a chance to make an impact at more than one position on day one for the Atlanta Falcons.

If you didn’t see, the Atlanta Falcons stayed put at pick 47 on day two of the NFL Draft, despite the continued rumors that they have been looking to always trade up (just yearly smoke at this point) and took defensive lineman Marlon Davidson out of Auburn. At first glance, Davidson’s stats are as flashy as someone such as A.J. Epenesa, who was taken a few picks later, but are still solid:

2019: 49 total tackles, 30 solo tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles.

Davidson was finally able to put it together in his senior season, notching career highs in nearly every defensive category, earning a first-team All-SEC selection.

Now granted, this was also playing on the same defensive line as Derrick Brown, who was constantly calling for double teams and was the seventh pick by the Carolina Panthers for a reason. But with Davidson joining forces with Grady Jarrett, Dante Fowler Jr., and Takk McKinley, he’ll have his fair share of opportunities to make plays.

He also plays the game with the kind of attitude that coaches dream of from players that are in the trenches, as our own Twitter account pointed out:

The Falcons also filled two needs with this pick: Davidson has the ability to not only set the edge in the team’s base package but can also rush the passer at defensive tackle in the team’s nickel/dime packages. This screams the versatility that Dan Quinn looks for in his edge defenders.

The Falcons have failed to adequately put a solid DT next to Grady Jarrett to rush the passer, and Davidson is expected to come in day one and make an impact. (This also solidifies Deadrin Senat‘s future with the team.)

Overall, I like this pick by Thomas Dimitroff and company. After addressing CB in the first round with the pick of A.J. Terrell, it was time they switched their focus to the defensive line, which finished 29th in the league in total sacks.