Yesterday, there was a shocking report that the Falcons will only interview defensive players at this year’s NFL Combine, with the offensive coaches not even being part of the process. A complete turnaround from the best player available approach the Falcons have touted in the past, but it’s not like Terry Fontenot and his staff have hit on many draft picks. So, maybe a change is necessary, even if this one feels incredibly Bush League.
“There’s a lot of good defensive players in this draft, so it’s exciting,” Fontenot said.
“I would say every level. You look at the secondary, whether we’re talking about safety, corner. There’s linebackers that do a lot of different things, versatile. There’s some guys you can say inside linebacker, but now they can also play on the edge and they can move around and do some different things. Obviously, some really good defensive linemen.
I would say at every level on the defense there’s some really, really good players, and the coolest thing is there’s versatility. Whether we’re talking about a safety that can also be a nickel and do some different things, and a corner that you can even envision as a safety because of the physicality and the toughness. Again, linebackers that can play on the edge. When you look at the uniqueness of this draft, there’s a lot of really good defensive players, but there’s also a lot of good versatile defensive players that you can do some different things with.”
In four straight drafts, the Falcons have selected inside the top 10 picks, taking an offensive player every cycle. That will change this year with Atlanta drafting 15th overall, and all signs point to Terry Fontenot taking a defensive player in the first round for the first time as general manager of the Falcons.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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