Former Atlanta Falcons first round pick attempting to revive career

When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Vic Beasley 8th overall in the 2015 draft the pick was met with a level of criticism. Beasley was the exact pass rusher Atlanta so badly needed but was clearly undersized and was limited in the number of ways he could win rushing the passer completely reliant on winning with his speed.

Any criticisms of Beasley faded the season after his rookie year when the edge rusher led the league with 15.5 sacks and was pivotal in Atlanta’s regular season success. Beasley was unable to win in the playoffs at the same level only registering one quarterback hit in three games for the Falcons.

For the next two seasons, Beasley managed only 10.0 sacks in thirty games.  While Vic was a valuable rotational edge rusher he clearly wasn’t the elite piece Atlanta had hoped they drafted.  Beasley spent one more season with the Falcons before leaving spending time with the Titans and Raiders during the 2020 season.

Beasley has been unable to land another opportunity since failing to make an impact with the Titans or Raiders.

The former Atlanta Falcons draft pick signed with the XFL Vegas Vipers and made his debut this past weekend. Beasley finished his first game in the XFL with two tackles and 0.5 a sack getting home in a huge spot for the Vipers.

If Beasley can continue to show he can register pressure this XFL season there is little doubt he will earn another NFL opportunity. In a quarterback-driven league teams are desperate to generate a consistent pass rush and find cheap rotational pieces.

Vic will never be the elite edge rusher he was in the 2015 season, however, there is little reason not to believe Beasley is capable of contributing to an NFL team once again as a depth piece who had one of the best seasons rushing the passer in Atlanta’s history.