It is time for the Falcons to change Kaleb McGary’s position

The Atlanta Falcons are nearing a deadline for a big decision when it comes to their former first-round pick out of Washington.

Come early next month, Atlanta must inform McGary on whether or not they are going to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, and with that, they should also inform him about another decision.

The Falcons need to resurrect Kaleb McGary’s career via a position change

The Atlanta Falcons traded back into the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft to grab what they hoped would be their franchise right tackle, well safe to say that that has not worked out in the slightest.

Kaleb McGary has routinely been a liability on the right side of the offensive line, especially in pass protection where one flaw of his shines bright—his arm length.

One of the most important things an NFL offensive tackle can have is long arms. They need to be able to not allow pass rushers into their body, thus long arms keep the defender further away. McGary does not have that luxury and it has shown.

Mockdraftable.com has Kaleb McGary’s arm length in the ninth percentile, meaning that 91% of offensive tackles that are measured have longer arms than McGary. This is shocking as you would expect someone who is six-foot-eight to have long arms, but that is not the case with Kaleb.

This is obviously something that he can not control, but Atlanta could put him in a position to cover up his major weakness by moving him to guard. He would be an oversized guard but he has the strength to be able to make the transition and at this point, you might as well take that chance because it is obvious he is not going to flourish on the outside of the offensive line.

So, it is time for the Falcons to make a big move by transitioning Kaleb McGary to the guard position, preferably on the left side where he could compete to be a starter.