Every NFL fan base wants their team to draft their favorite college’s players, and Falcons fans are no different with the Georgia Bulldogs.
While Terry Fontenot has actually drafted more Dawgs than UGA fans would care to admit, those picks have come way late and have provided nothing of value.
When discussing this college-to-NFL pipeline, it’s never as simple as “the Falcons should just draft Georgia players.” There are a million different factors to consider, but to a certain extent, it is as simple as just drafting Kirby Smart-coached football players.
Six former Georgia Bulldogs won the Super Bowl this past week as members of the Philadelphia Eagles, some of whom the Falcons elected to pass on. I’m not going to say Terry Fontenot was wrong to draft Drake London instead of Jordan Davis, but what I will take to my grave is how massive of a mistake it was to pass on Jalen Carter for Bijan Robinson.
It’s not that I don’t like Robinson. In fact, outside of Michael Penix Jr., there might not be a more entertaining Falcons player. Robinson is firmly a top-five player at his position and has the potential to be the best running back in the league at some point.
However, the best running back doesn’t even come close to being as valuable as the best defensive tackle. That’s what we are talking about. One of the best defenders in football is infinitely more valuable than any running back.
One former Georgia great, who is also a Hall of Famer, wouldn’t mind seeing his hometown Falcons tap into the NFL factory that is Athens. Champ Bailey told ESPN’s Kevin Clark on an episode of This is Football he wouldn’t mind seeing the Falcons mimic the Eagles a bit.
“You know, it’s unfortunate the hometown Falcons hadn’t got on board with this,” Bailey said. “But, you know, it’s one of those things, man. We always have a lot of talent. And if you could see lately, I think Kirby’s experience in the league and what he values as far as the interior of a defense and offense, that’s really what it boils down to, man.”
In the last three drafts, Philly has taken five Dawgs, including three in the first round, all of whom contributed significantly to their Lombardi trophy. The only Georgia players the Falcons have drafted under Terry Fontenot have come in the sixth round — tight end John FitzPatrick, offensive guard Justin Shaffer and defensive lineman Zion Logue. Lorenzo Carter and Charlie Woerner were also on the team but were signed as free agents.
It’s never too late to start righting your wrongs, however. The Bulldogs have 14 players invited to this year’s combine, three of whom should interest the Falcons in the first round — Jalon Walker, Malaki Starks, and Mykel Williams.
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