Atlanta Falcons: Best and worst attribute of each draft pick

Round 5 (114): Ta’Quon Graham, DL Texas

Best: Arms

This was the moment in the draft a lot of Falcons fans were waiting for, a defensive lineman. This may have been a little late for them to address such a big need, but that is beside the point.

Ta’Quon Grahams’ arms are a huge advantage he has against his competition. Having long arms as a lineman is something that can help you immensely.

He is 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds. What you would not expect from someone who is 6-foot-3 is to have 35-inch arms. To put that in perspective, the average male arm length is 25 inches.

This poses a huge threat to an offensive lineman. If Graham gets his hands and arms in the right place, he can do whatever he wants with the blocker.

Worst: Speed

Speed can be an important part of a defensive lineman’s game, but it is something that Ta’Quon Graham does struggle with.

Where most of Graham’s struggles come is when he has to get lateral or chase a guy down. It is simply something he has physical limitations doing.

If he was a bit faster-running guys down, he would have been gone by the fifth round. He can disrupt a play, but trying to get to the ball carrier is another story. He has a lot of lengths, as previously stated, so perhaps that could help cover up this part of his game.

The Atlanta Falcons need to make sure they do not put him in open spaces, as this will be something that will set him up to fail.

Round 5 (182): Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE Notre Dame

Best: Power

Ogundeji is the type of player who can simply throw you to the side.

Watching him through a game, you will see him, every once in a while, literally throw a guy to the side like they are nothing. The power he produces is impressive.

Not to mention his power in all the facets of his game are exceptional. He has punishing hands that will knock a lineman backward, and also has a pretty good bull rush that he should routinely use when he suits up as a Falcon.

Lining him up next to Grady could provide a much-needed push for the Atlanta Falcons defensive line. Hopefully, that power up the middle will open things up for the outside rushers.

Worst: Stiffness

Next to trying to pronounce his name, his stiffness is one of the biggest issues. This is the reason that he will be lining up inside most of the time. He does not have the bend that is so important for an outside pass rusher.

However, Dean Pees and his staff know this better than any of us. He is a great coordinator who will know each player’s strengths and weaknesses, so this is not something that should be worried about too much.

While being flexible on the inside is important, that is not the type of play that Ogundeji will try to show, he will use his power to get the best of the guy opposite of him.

Round 5 (183): Avery Williams, CB Boise State

Best: Position Flexibility

Avery Williams is someone that Atlanta Falcons should be more excited about.

He was a walk-on for the Boise State Broncos four years ago and turned into one of the best special teamers in their history. Hopefully, he will turn into just that with the Atlanta Falcons.

Avery could possibly play corner, safety, kick returner, punt returner, gunner, blocking kicks, and even some offense according to Arthur Smith.

That is extremely impressive. While for now, he may not get a chance as a kick returner with Cordarrelle Patterson in town, he probably will get a chance as a punt returner because Patterson usually does not return punts.

Avery had eight return touchdowns, two blocked field goals, and two blocked punts.

While the Falcons selected a multi-faceted player in the sixth round, the Panthers selected a long snapper. This was an underrated draft pick, as he provides potential at many different positions.

Worst: Size

Avery Williams’s lack of size is obvious, he is only 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds.

He may not ever be an exceptional defender and contributor in the NFL, but he should provide depth and productions elsewhere. Avery will also, most likely, be limited to lining up in the slot with his lack of height.

He is not a lock to make the roster, as players of this size have to show out for their teams to make the roster. He will need to show the Atlanta Falcons that size does not matter, and he can make an impact despite being smaller than most players.

Round 6 (187): Frank Darby, WR Arizona State

Best: Deep Threat

Next to being an excellent deep threat during his time at Arizona State, you could also say his personality. Watching him talk about being drafted by the Falcons will make anyone happy. He seems like he will be a fan favorite.

But, looking at his play, he was drafted because he was a deep threat for the Arizona State offense.

He seems like he was a hit or miss type player on every play, he certainly has the ability to help out Julio, Ridley, and Pitts down the field.

Being a sixth-round pick, he is a player that Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith drafted because they see a guy they can develop, as well as having him contribute on special teams.

Worst: Drops

Frank Darby had an issue with drops during college. Cross our fingers that this is something the offensive staff can help correct, or else he will not see much of the field.

According to Pro Football Focus, Frank Darby had ten drops on 77 catchable targets.

That is pretty abysmal. That would equate to about a 13 percent drop rate on his catchable targets. This would not instill a lot of confidence for Matt Ryan.

Although drops were something that Calvin Ridley struggled with in college and for a little bit in his first couple of years with the Falcons. He seems to be doing fine now.

There are a few other things that the coaches and Darby will have to work on, if they want him to be an effective receiver, nonetheless he has some good potential. He will also have Julio Jones, hopefully, to help coach him up. You could not ask for more if you are a young receiver.