The Falcons not only drafted their quarterback of
the future, they also helped put a new face on a franchise that desperately
needed one.
Round 1, Pick 3 (3) Matt Ryan QB 6'5" 224 Boston College
Looking for a face of the franchise, the Falcons went with a quarterback. Ryan
started 32 games over the past four years at Boston College. He will compete for
the starting job in 2008 and is expected to lead the offense for years to come.
The two-time captain is known for his character, leadership and intelligence.
Round 1, Pick 21 (21) (From Redskins) Sam Baker OT 6'5" 312 Southern Cal
To compliment their quarterback of the future, the Falcons traded up to take
someone who will protect Matt Ryan. Baker allowed just 4.5 sacks on his last 889
pass plays at USC.
Round 2, Pick 6 (37) Curtis Lofton LB 6'0" 238 Oklahoma
With a nose for the ball, he had 197 tackles in 39 games at Oklahoma, including
19 starts. He gives the Falcons a strong inside presence, where he will go a
long way to helping stuff the run.
Round 3, Pick 5 (68) Chevis Jackson CB 6'0" 188 LSU
Jackson is a tough and instinctive cornerback, who lacks top-end speed.
Round 3, Pick 21 (84) (From Redskins) Harry Douglas WR 5'11" 176 Louisville
Douglas makes up for a small frame with good speed and has been productive
at Louisville. He had an exceptional three-cone number at 6.75, which indicates
that he has great ability to get in and out of breaks.
Round 3, Pick 35 (98)
(Compensatory selection) Thomas DeCoud FS 6'2" 196 California
DeCoud had solid production at California. He has exceptional special teams
skills and good coverage ability. He even has the quickness to play cornerback
at times.
Round 5, Pick 3 (138) Robert James OLB 5'11" 219 Arizona State
Considering his size, he could move from linebacker to safety at the next level.
Round 5, Pick 19 (154) (From Redskins) Kroy Biermann OLB 6'3" 242 Montana
He'll be a middle linebacker in the NFL. He played a lot with his hand on the
ground in college, but at the pro level he'll be used more in space and has the
speed and athleticism to do so.
Round 6, Pick 6 (172) Thomas Brown RB 5'9" 204 Georgia
He has good speed and can break tackles. He was inconsistent and needs to work
on his steadiness and ball security.
Round 7, Pick 5 (212) Wilrey Fontenot CB 5'9" 171 Arizona
Fontenot started four years at Arizona. He actually started one more game than
Antoine Cason and was part of a record-setting relay team in high school. He has
sprinter straight-ahead speed more than lateral quickness. His cover skills are
questionable.
Round 7, Pick 25 (232) (From Steelers) Keith Zinger TE 6'4" 270 Duke
Zinger had a solid workout at LSU's Pro Day. He's a prototypical blocking tight
end who is not much of a weapon in the passing game.
Atlanta Falcons 2008 NFL Preview
The good news is they are ahead of the Chiefs in the rebuilding process, the
bad news is they are behind everyone else. There is a new coach, a new
quarterback, and a new running back as the Falcons start from
scratch. Michael Turner can be a workhorse at running back, and Mike
Smith has already decided to break in Matt Ryan right away, but this
is going to be another very bad year. The Falcons are making the
right moves to improve though and it will pay dividends down the
road.
Offense: The biggest question in Atlanta will be at
quarterback as with rookie Matt Ryan having won the job, and Joey
Harrington being cut, there is little experience behind him. Expect
some struggles as with all rookie quarterbacks. The running game
will have to support the fledgling quarterback and they can do that
with Michael Turner (5.5 ypc) and Jerious Norwood (6.2 ypc). If both
can continue to produce at that kind of pace, it will give Ryan time
to learn the game while leaning on a very strong running game.
Defense: MLB Curtis Lofton is a headhunter and he allows
Keith Brooking to return to his natural spot on the outside and
Michael Boley on the other side makes this a formidable linebacking
corps. The weak link on defense is the interior line.
Overall: The Falcons defense will have to pick up the slack
while Ryan learns to lead the offense. They are not going to light
up any scoreboards this year, but a strong running game and a decent
defense should keep the Falcons improving and respectable.
