Falcons land Bob Sanders 2.0 with Day 3 steal of Billy Bowman Jr.

Defense, defense, defense; it has been all about defense with the Atlanta Falcons. The approach was to address the pass rush early and the secondary later.

With their fourth-round pick (No. 118) the Dirty Birds selected Billy Bowman Jr., a defensive back out of Oklahoma, and another steal by Terry Fontenot.

Billy Bowman Jr. will be the Falcons' Bob Sanders

Former Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders was one heck of a player. He made two Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams, and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.

Comparing any new draftee to a former DPOY is quite the compliment, and one that new Falcons defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. deserves.

When you watch the newest Dirty Bird, you see an angry, aggressive, and versatile player. Jeff Ulbrich will have so much fun with him, especially with his past success in moving smaller players into the box.

The comparison to Sanders comes from his smaller size but big attitude. Bowman's five-foot-ten, 190-pound frame is the only reason he lasted to the fourth round. He was worthy of a second or third-round pick.

Now, you might be asking, where does he fit into the defense? He joins Jessie Bates, Jordan Fuller, DeMarcco Hellams, and fellow rookie Xavier Watts on the backend of the defense.

Ulbrich is why he fits into this defense. The new defensive coordinator has succeeded in bringing safeties down into the box—the best example being Jamien Sherwood.

While Bowman won't be a full-time linebacker due to his size, he has the aggression to drop into the box on passing downs.

This Draft class has been all about versatility. Thinking about the new chess pieces in the two uber-athletic edge players with Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., and the new secondary players in the ball-hawking Xavier Watts and Bob Sanders-esque Bowman is exciting.

There will be a lot of rotating on the Atlanta Falcons defense in 2025.