Falcons: Full breakdown of every day three draft pick

Leave a Comment / Falcons, NFL Draft / By /
dho19090750294 stan at usc

I think the Falcons had a successful 2021 NFL draft as a whole, and as Alex pointed out — the day three picks can be even more important than the pick made on Friday.

Atlanta mostly focused on taking great athletes in the later rounds, which is a pretty great strategy if you trust your coaching. After taking Kyle Pitts, Richie Grant, and Jalen Mayfield in rounds one to three, who are the guys the Falcons added in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds?

 

Round 4:

 

Pick 108: CB/S Darren Hall, San Diego State

Pick 114 (From Denver): IOL Drew Dalman, Stanford

 

Darren Hall’s secondary coach, Kyle Hoke, is the son of Atlanta’s secondary coach Jon Hoke. Still, Hall tied for the FBS lead in pass breakups with 16 and snagged three interceptions for the Aztecs. He earned First Team All-Mountain West honors in 2020 for his efforts. The Falcons continued the trend of adding versatile defensive backs after drafting Richie Grant, as Hall has safety and nickel flexibility. I think this is a solid pick to help fill a position of need, and Hall reminds me a lot of another former Aztec/Falcon — Damontae Kazee.

Drew Dalman is one of my favorite picks of this entire draft. Thought to be a second-round talent by a lot of scouts, Dalman fell to the Falcons in the fourth round. He immediately provides competition at positions of need — center and guard. In 243 pass block snaps in 2020, Dalman allowed zero sacks. In addition, Dalman was a fantastic run-blocker, team captain, and tested off the charts athletically. He could add some strength to his frame, but he’s a pretty clean prospect. Drew’s dad, Chris Dalman, was Atlanta’s O-Line coach in 2005. Chris also played with Dwayne Ledford in the NFL with the 49ers in the 90’s.

Both of these guys tested off the charts athletically:

Round 5:

 

Pick 148: IDL Ta’Quon Graham, Texas

Pick 182: EDGE Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Notre Dame

Pick 183: CB Avery Williams, Boise State

 

Speaking of guys who went crazy on their pro days, Ta’Quon Graham is a name to watch lining up next to Grady Jarrett. Graham profiles as a guy who can play inside-out and move across the defensive front, which is something that is key to creating pressure in an odd-hybrid front seven. He needs to work on his plan of attack as a pass-rusher, but Graham has loads of potential and is an athletic freak built for today’s NFL.

Ade Ogundeji led Notre Dame in sacks in 2020, and he’s another versatile guy that can play inside-out. Ogundeji is very explosive, but he’s still developing his plan of attack and balance when rushing the passer. He also lacks a lot of the “bend” that NFL teams look for. However, he has a massive frame and is very impressive in short bursts. For now, he has a long way to go before developing into a true every down player. He should be able to contribute as a rotational project as a rookie.

Avery Williams is a bit undersized, but I could easily see him returning punts if Cordarrelle Patterson doesn’t assume those duties. He ran a lightning quick 4.43 with a 4 second shuttle, but is only 5’8 and 187 pounds. He should be a decent special teamer that could work in as a nickel or dime corner in sub packages.

 

Round 6:

 

Pick 187: WR Frank Darby, Arizona State

 

Darby is a player I wasn’t familiar with at first, but there seems to be a consensus that this was a solid pick for the Falcons. He’s very technically sound with his hands, and although he didn’t test well — he’s a good athlete that uses his physicality to win on the line. Scouts rave about his route running as well. While wide receiver isn’t the biggest need on the board, I think Darby is a great value pick. He’s still a work in progress, but the fact that he averaged 20+ yards per catch from 2017-2019 indicates that he could develop into a nice deep threat and prove to be a steal in the sixth round. With the team’s perceived need at running back, the front office must be confident that some good ones will be available in undrafted free agency.

Scroll to Top
%d bloggers like this: