Atlanta Falcons: J.K. Dobbins is the player that got away in 2020

Looking back on the Atlanta Falcons 2020 draft class, there is one player that got away who would have been a great fit in Atlanta and what head coach Arthur Smith wants to offensively.In the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons decided to select defensive lineman Marlon Davidson out of Auburn believing that he could be the running mate that they desired to pair with Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett.

Instead, Davidson battles through injuries and when he did play, he was a non-factor to the point most fans could not tell you when he was actually on the field. By the end of the season, Davidson had taken just 132 snaps for the Falcons – Jarrett logged 851 snaps, Tyeler Davison logged 519 snaps, and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner logged 373 defensive snaps.

Atlanta Falcons should have drafted running back J.K. Dobbins instead.

Leading up to the NFL Draft last year, we wrote several mock drafts that included the Atlanta Falcons stealing Dobbins in the second round.

Coming out of Ohio State, Dobbins was labeled and seen as a first-round pick and was highly regarded as one of the most talented running back in the entire draft – yet somehow he lasted until pick 55 when the Ravens wisely jumped at the chance to add him.

He was the fifth running back off the board behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, D’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor, and Cam Akers. Of this list, only Taylor finished with more rushing yards than Dobbins – though he also had 100 more carries than Dobbins as well.

J.K. Dobbins led all NFL running backs in 2020 with a per-carry average of six yards – that was almost a half yard more than Derrick Henry. The Ravens know they got a stud late in the second round and is a guy that the Falcons should have had their sights on all along.

The 2021 NFL Draft would look a lot different for the Falcons had Dimitroff taken the most complete running back in the 2020 draft. Arthur Smith would have his big-play running back and the Falcons would have one less hole to fill over the next several months.

Instead, they have a defensive lineman that has a lot to prove during his second season before fans truly start questioning how a great college player all of the sudden forgot how to play football.

New general manager Terry Fontenot has a lot of pressure on him. His first draft will be his most important and will determine the direction of the Falcons. If he nails the draft, they get back to the playoffs sooner rather than later.

If he misses, it will be a few more years of misery for the franchise that is not something that any of us want to see or experience.