Everyone knows by now that seventh-round picks have a very low hit rate in the NFL. Guys like Brock Purdy and Shannon Sharpe are the exception, not the rule. And the Atlanta Falcons are learning that all too well, as their own seventh-round pick has failed to recover after struggling in his NFL debut.
With the 231st overall pick, the Falcons selected Ohio State offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa as a developmental dart throw. They were banking on Bill Callahan to morph him into a quality depth tackle, but while Jawaan Taylor was on active/PUP, Onianwa mixed in to get some first-team reps.
There were a couple practices there where he looked great rolling with the 1s, and that Atlanta found a steal. . But once he made his debut in the preseason against the Denver Broncos, he looked overwhelmed against their starters to the point he didn't even look like an NFL-caliber OL.
In his debut, Onianwa recorded a dismal 22.7 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, a number so bad it overshadowed his 88.6 run blocking grade. And a rough start to the preseason has seen an interesting question surface: is Ethan Onianwa even going to make the Falcons' 53-man roster?
Ethan Onianwa is in serious jeopardy of not making the Falcons' roster
Honestly, it remains pretty up in the air. The 23-year-old struggled in his debut. bounced back as the starting right tackle against the Colts. His 81.5 pass blocking grade led the team, but unfortunately he's still on the wrong side of the roster bubble as the game against Denver exposed his red flags.
Here's the thing: Onianwa's main competition for the backup right tackle job is Michael Jerrell, who has the experience advantage. Jerrell also had a good day against the Colts, where he got the start at backup left tackle--and the OL with versatility at both tackle spots likely deserves the edge here.
While there's no doubt that this 6-foot-6, 333-pound behemoth could keep developing into a quality backup, the best place for him to do that isn't on the active roster. They can keep him on the practice squad, Callahan can keep working with him, and Atlanta can get a more experienced backup to Taylor.
Unfortunately, they have no choice but to cut him. The Falcons aren't in a position to allow Onianwa to be their backup right tackle, because this isn't any ordinary RT job. If Taylor goes down, the last thing you want is to have a seventh-round pick protecting Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa's blind side. We saw how this story ended with Elijah Wilkinson last year.
Onianwa is proving why he was a dart throw. While there have been glimpses of potential, his game needs much more refinement. Meanwhile, Jerrell has a chance to be the new swing tackle. So if the final roster spot comes down to both of these players, it would behoove the Falcons to chose Jerrell.
Roster cuts are less than a week away, and right now, it doesn't seem like Ethan Onianwa's chances are particularly promising. He badly needs to shine in the preseason finale to save himself for good.
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