Falcons Fans Attend the 2023 NFL Draft
By Lisa Shepard
Vinny Dorsey is known as "Da Falconator. He's been a Falcons fan since the early 1990's and is well-known amongst Falcons fans. Due to an iconic 7th Round draft pick announcement at this year's Draft, he is now known throughout the NFL universe.
The 2023 NFL Draft marked the 6th time that Da Falconator made the trip to see the selections in person. He enjoys being around other passionate Falcons fans. Over the years, he's also developed relationships with fans from other teams, and the NFL Draft serves as a reunion for them.
Da Falconator was part of this year's Inner Circle. Inner Circle participants get premium seating at each NFL Draft and most get prime TV time too. The Falcons contacted him to see if he wanted to make the 7th Round announcement. Of course, his answer was an emphatic yes. Announcing a Draft pick was something he had always wanted to do, so that was one of his NFL fan dreams realized.
After announcing DeMarcco Hellams (S- Alabama) as the 224th pick, Da Falconator said to someone in the audience, "28-3... good one. We've heard that before!" Rich Eisen and the rest of the broadcast crew immediately burst into laughter. One commentator even said, "I'm glad we got that on film."
This was Da Falconator's moment. Decked out in a Falcons suit carrying a heavy-weight title belt on his left shoulder that has the Falcons' logo and "ATL" on it, Da Falconator handled that heckler with quick wit and ease.
The Falcons posted his announcement on their social media. On Twitter, the clip has been viewed over 173,000 times, retweeted over 450 times, and has over 2,400 likes. The caption was one word. "Icon."
Icon#NFLDraft: NFLN, ABC & ESPN pic.twitter.com/4zuDzhTLGV
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 29, 2023
Since his announcement, he was interviewed on 92.9 The Game Steakhouse Morning Show. He was also featured on Good Morning Football with a shout-out from co-host, Kyle Brandt.
Understandably, 28-3 is something that Falcons fans want to move on from. Of course, the hecklers and trolls will always be there. However as demonstrated by Da Falconator one on of the NFL's most watched stages, that loss won't deter Falcons fans from repping their team with fervor, wit, and a dose of sarcasm.