The Falcons made Kyle Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in league history. The selection was met with criticism.
Matt Ryan was clearly entering the twilight years of his career, and the club had an opportunity to land his successor. Hell, it could’ve netted a premium position player like Micah Parsons, Patrick Surtain, or Penei Sewell. Instead, Atlanta drafted a tight end.
The club then followed it up with Drake London as the 8th overall pick in the 2022 cycle. It wasn’t nearly as controversial as the prior first-round pick and certainly not as controversial as the next one.
Instead of filling a need at quarterback, pass rusher or even on the offensive line, the Falcons decided to make Bijan Robinson the highest-drafted running back since the Giants selected Saquon Barkley.
It was a polarizing move, to say the least. Why spend a premium draft pick on a non-premium position? Especially considering Tyler Allgeier just rushed for 1,000 yards? However, Robinson was arguably the most talented prospect with the potential to be an MVP-caliber player in Arthur Smith’s offense; one that featured him as a receiver as much as a rusher.
It made football fans salivate at the idea of an offense featuring Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts — three supreme talents. It hasn’t come to fruition, prompting ESPN’s Mike Greenberg to make note of a harsh reality for the Falcons. Nobody has done less with more this season than Arthur Smith.
Hard to think any team has done less with more this year than the #Falcons.
I don’t care what the weather is, seven points against the #Panthers is last straw sort of stuff.
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) December 17, 2023
I don’t even think this is an argument. The Falcons have a star-studded supporting cast and are one of the least productive offenses in the league. More of that falls at the feet of Desmond Ridder than Arthur Smith, in my opinion, but both are culpable and deserve a share of the blame.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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