Atlanta Falcons draft a Georgia Bulldog on the final day of draft

The Atlanta Falcons finally joined in on what has been a Georgia Bulldogs draft by taking offensive lineman Justin Shaffer in the 6th round of the draft. Shaffer joins a long list of Georgia Bulldogs that have been drafted from the championship team. He is the first Bulldog the Falcons have drafted, however, and will certainly be a fan favorite among a large portion of the Atlanta fanbase.

Shaffer is a player who doesn’t profile as a day one starter, however, considering the lack of depth along the Atlanta offensive line there is a chance he could compete for a starting job. Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom should be the only starters who come into camp with their jobs won.

All three other positions should be open competition considering the level of play we saw from the offensive line last season.  Their pass blocking was atrocious with the middle of the line directing traffic straight into Matt Ryan’s lap. Shaffer is a shot in the dark as a player that never fully played to his potential, however, he was part of a winning culture and a great development program. Shaffer is a great selection at this point and a player that could attempt to compete with Jalen Mayfield and left guard and give Atlanta a much-needed option to replace the struggling guard.

Shaffer may not have been the player many fans preferred from Georgia with George Pickens, and James Cook already off the board but he is a value pick at a point in the draft in a position that is often nothing better than a guess.

Shaffer was inconsistent with Georgia but in their championship run put enough tape together to deserve a shot at winning a job at the next level and that’s exactly what the Falcons should give him.