The Falcons offensive linemen are freaks of nature

According to the Relative Athletic Score metric, the Atlanta Falcons starting offensive line in 2023 was second to none.

The Atlanta Falcons starting offensive line in 2023 (primarily composed of LT Jake Matthews, LG Matthew Bergeron, C Drew Dalman, RG Chris Lindstrom, and RT Kaleb McGary had the highest combined RAS (Relative Athletic Score) in the NFL.

Built by Navy Veteran and lifelong Detroit Lions fan Kent Lee Platte, RAS is a metric that charts and scores players' physical size and performance and cross-references those numbers with other players at the same position. The result is a compendium of the athletic prowess of football players at each position, grading them on a scale of 0-10.

The Atlanta Falcons offensive line from last season was viewed incredibly highly by Lee Platte's metric. Out of all thirty-two NFL teams, the Atlanta Falcons starting offensive line was #1. Despite having a score only .23 higher than the second-best team, the Green Bay Packers, the Falcons were a whopping 5.67 points higher than the worst team in the NFL, the 4.11 score of the Cincinnati Bengals.

What Falcons starting offensive lineman has the best score?

The highest RAS of the Falcons starting offensive line is Drew Dalman. At a score of 9.90, Dalman not only has the highest score of any of the Falcons' offensive line starters but the 6th highest out of a field of 495 centers between 1987 and 2021 when he was drafted. His composite speed grade, taken from his 40-yard dash and his 10 and 20-yard splits was graded as elite.

His composite explosion and composite agility grades are also graded as elite. His size grade was listed as "OKAY", as Dalman does sit on the lighter side for a center, sitting at 6'3-3/8" and 299lbs with 33 bench press reps at the 2021 NFL Combine.

What Falcons starting offensive lineman has the worst score?

Worst is a relative, no pun intended, term. With a score of 9.51, Jake Matthews was graded incredibly high coming out of Texas A&M in 2014. Indeed, his 9.51 score ranked 36th out of 712 offensive tackles between 1987 to 2014. Despite being the lowest-graded member of the 2023 Atlanta Falcons offensive line, he still boasts one of the top 50 scores for an offensive tackler as far back as RAS tracks.

What about the rest of the Falcons starting offensive line?

Drew Dalman had the highest RAS grade of the 2023 Falcons OL unit and Jake Matthews was the lowest of the group, but what about the rest of the starting five? With the second-best score of the Falcons offensive line sits right guard Chris Lindstrom, who possesses a 9.84 RAS grade. Right behind Lindstrom is his running mate on the right side of the line- Kaleb McGary. McGary owns a 9.83 RAS grade, one behind Lindstrom, and one ahead of left guard Matthew Bergeron, who scored a solid 9.82.

To summarize:

Drew Dalman 9.90 (6th of 495 centers from 1987-2021)
Chris Lindstrom 9.84 (18th of 1,049 offensive guards from 1987-2019)
Kaleb McGary 9.83 (19th of 1,045 offensive tackles from 1987-2019)
Matthew Bergeron 9.82 (26th of 1,420 offensive guards from 1987-2023)
Jake Matthews 9.51 (36th of 712 offensive tackles from 1987-2014)

For more information regarding Relative Athletic Score, check out Kent Lee Platte on Twitter: @MathBomb. For a review of the on-field play of the 2023 Falcons starting offensive line, click the tab below.