All early signs indicate that the Atlanta Falcons had an incredible draft in 2022. They were able to find some offensive playmakers while also gathering some promising young talent for the future on defense. It makes for an exciting future that has many fans more optimistic than they have been in a while.
The development of each of their rookies was evident throughout the year, especially the offensive trio. They genuinely have a young core to build around going forward.
Read: Grading each offensive position for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.
Read: Grading each defensive position for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.
Here we will look back on each of their seasons and grade them. If you remember, the Falcons didn’t end up making a pick in the fourth or seventh round. They drafted a total of eight players, five on offense and three on defense, with all but two of them playing a significant number of snaps during the year.
Let’s get right to it, starting with the two sixth-round picks from Georgia:
John FitzPatrick, TE, Georgia (Rd. 6, Pk. 213)
Stats: N/A
John FitzPatrick spent the whole season on injured reserve. He was projected to be one of the main blockers for the Atlanta Falcons offense but injuries stole his first season.
There isn’t much else to say other than that we all just hope that the former Bulldog can get healthy and make an impact in 2023
Grade: N/A
Justin Shaffer, OG, Georgia (Rd. 6, Pk. 190)
Stats: N/A
The other draft pick out of Georgia, Justin Shaffer, had some early buzz about potentially competing to be a starting left guard, but instead, he spent the entire season on the practice squad. The Falcons obviously believe in him because they drafted him and kept him around, but who knows what his future holds We do know that the Atlanta Falcons still need a starting left guard, and Shaffer could end up making a push for the job.
Grade: N/A
Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU (Rd. 5, Pk. 151)
Stats: 16 games | 210 rushes for 1,035 yds | 15 receptions for 139 yds | 4 total TDs | 0 fumbles
It was a spectacular year for the Atlanta Falcons’ fifth-round pick, Tyler Allgeier. The rookie running back was expected to come in and sit behind Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams, but he ended up taking the top spot on the depth chart, rushed for over 1,000 yards, and got a few votes for ‘Offensive Rookie of the Year.’
There is perhaps no player that fans are more excited to see next year. With a full offseason to get better, and gather more experience and confidence, there is no telling what he could do.
He is strong, surprisingly quick, and doesn’t fumble the football. Allgeier having zero fumbles is something that gets severely overlooked, he should be getting more attention for that.
This was, by far, the best value pick for the team in 2022, and possibly over the past number of years.
Grade: A+
DeAngelo Malone, OLB, Western Kentucky (Rd. 3, Pk. 82)
Stats: 15 games | 216 defensive snaps | 29 tackles | 4 tackles for loss | 1 sack | 2 QB hits
This was the pick that the Atlanta Falcons got in return for Matt Ryan, so DeAngelo Malone will forever be known for basically being traded for one of the best players in Falcons’ history.
Being a rookie pass rusher is extremely hard. No one had the expectations to see Malone record ten-plus sacks this past year; the expectations were more in line with what he did do, play limited snaps as a pass rusher.
One sack isn’t good but he was the third-round pick of a team that makes getting to the quarterback look harder than reading this with your eyes closed.
Grade: C
Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati (Rd. 3, Pk. 74)
Stats: 4 games | 2-2 record | 73/115 (63.5%) | 708 yds | 2 TDs | 0 interceptions
We all would have loved to see Desmond Ridder play in more games. He sat on the bench for way too many games and could have potentially changed the outcome of the season, but we will focus on what he did do during his four starts.
Ridder’s first start in New Orleans was mostly rough, his second start in Baltimore was much better, and then he improved significantly in his final two games at home. Progress is what we all wanted to see and what we ended up getting.
He may have had two ugly fumbles but he didn’t throw any interceptions, had a respectable completion percentage, and was even able to lead his team to two wins. It may have taken him a few weeks to throw his first touchdown but much of that wasn’t his fault. Overall, we should be happy with what we saw in the limited number of games.
Grade: B
Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State (Rd. 2, Pk. 58)
Stats: 17 games | 5 starts | 69 tackles | 3 tackles for loss | 3 QB hits | 1 pass defenses | 1 forced fumble
Troy Andersen ended up getting significant playing time toward the end of the Atlanta Falcons season. Half of that was to get him live reps while the other half was because the team didn’t have a better option.
Andersen looked like a typical rookie, he would make a flashy play and then struggle to make a clean tackle on the next. However, we got to see some flashes of why the team drafted him so high. He just needs to clean up some areas in his game.
I may be a little harsh on him but his grade won’t determine his potential or what he will do in his second season.
Grade: C+
Arnold Ebiketie, OLB, Penn State (Rd. 2, Pk. 38)
Stats: 16 games | 1 start | 516 defensive snaps | 2.5 sacks | 11 QB hits | 30 tackles | 3 tackles for loss | 2 forced fumbles
The Atlanta Falcons traded up for Arnold Ebiketie in the second round during the draft in hopes of finding a great pass rusher. During his rookie season, he struggled at times but also flashed some killer moves off the edge. His game against the 49ers was stellar as he put consistent pressure on Jimmy G.
Much like Malone, he plays a difficult position, and while our expectations were higher with Ebiketie, we still weren’t expecting him to transcend the team’s pass rush. Some may say he had a disappointing year, and some will say it was a to-be-expected-type year. Personally, I loved what he did in the first half of the season but then he fizzled out for whatever reason. If I was grading only the first half, his grade would be much higher.
Grade: C+
Drake London, WR, USC (Rd. 1, Pk. 8)
Stats: 17 games | 72 receptions on 117 targets | 866 yards | 4 TDs | Long of 40 | 3 fumbles
We are all happy with the year that the Atlanta Falcons eighth-overall pick turned in in his rookie season. He managed to still produce even with some shaky quarterback play during the year. He had many passes in his direction that didn’t end up looking like they were in his direction, which shouldn’t be held against him.
London was able to show his size, especially with Desmond Ridder throwing him the football. He had a couple tough catches against Baltimore and then he had his longest catch in the finale against Tampa Bay.
His touchdowns were respectable for a rookie on an offense that runs the ball more than anyone. And we often overlook the mere fact that he was asked to be the number one receiver from the second he was drafted, and he was able to handle it all.
The one thing that hurt was his fumbles later in the year. Two of them came in very similar situations on fourth down. The one against Baltimore was an incredible play by the defender but there are no excuses for ever losing the ball. Hopefully, he will clean that up during the offseason.
Overall, he was everything the team was hoping for when they made him the highest-drafted receiver in 2022.