The interior of the defensive line is one of the weakest areas of this Atlanta Falcons' roster. Outside of Brandon Dorlus and to an extent Zach Harrison, the Falcons don't have anyone they know they can rely on to plug the middle of their defensive line. They were awful against the run in 2025.
The Falcons basically revamped their entire DT room this offseason, but their biggest move was dealing Ruke Orhorhoro to Jacksonville for Maason Smith. Many were perplexed when it happened, but Atlanta is betting Nate Ollie and Jeff Ulbrich can revive the career of the ex-second-round pick.
And early offseason returns suggest the change of scenery is already help the 23-year-old. He's turned heads so quickly in OTAs that Ulbrich referred to his new nose tackle as a "pleasant surprise". And it feels like more of a sign of what's to come rather than a flash in the pan on the defensive line.
"Maason's been a really pleasant surprise," Ulbrich said. "I know what he was in college, and I was really excited about that. But until you get your hands on him, it's unfamiliar territory. Since he's stepped into the building, he's shown eagerness to learn. Intent to work, great attitude."
Maason Smith is off to a strong start in his first offseason with Falcons
Despite being drafted with the 42nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Smith has been underwhelming across his first two seasons with the Jaguars. He's recorded just seven career starts and struggled with staying healthy after finding himself buried in a crowded defensive tackle room in Jacksonville.
Ulbrich mentioned that he knew what Smith was in college, and that's the real smoking gun here. Before his time at LSU, he was a five-star recruit and the highest-ranked recruit in the state of Louisiana, which helped him develop into one of the best run defenders in the nation in Baton Rouge.
The third-year DT has loads of untapped potential if he can stay healthy. Smith's size and athleticism were traits the Dirty Birds felt comfortable betting on as a better fit for their defense. They need big bodies to plug the middle against the run, and the former is more of a true nose tackle compared to his predecessor.
The Falcons are planning to utilize Smith at both nose tackle and 3-tech, and at 6-foot-5 and 306 pounds, the upside is massive (both literally and figuratively) in the right system. And we should fully expect him to become a fixture in the starting lineup alongside Dorlus, Harrison, and LaCale London.
It's a positive sign to hear that Smith has shown an eagerness to learn and entered his first offseason in Atlanta with a good attitude, because he's gonna need that chip on his shoulder to turn things around and prove the Falcons right for taking a chance on him.
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