Falcons: Whose stock is rising and falling after first preseason game

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The Falcons won their first preseason game after beating the Lions in Detroit 27-23, which featured encouraging performances from both quarterbacks. Desmond Ridder was 10-for-22 passing with 103 yards and led the Falcons in rushing with six carries for 59 yards. At least three passes were dropped, so those numbers should’ve been better as Rdder showed promise. Marcus Mariota was equally as impressive in the lone drive he was in for, which included multiple plays he turned into positive ones with his legs. Outside of both quarterbacks looking great, whose stock is rising and falling after the first preseason game?

Rising

Tyler Allgeier: The rookie out of BYU looked physical and tough to bring down, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. But the one area that was a cause for concern was his pass blocking — something all young running backs seemingly have trouble with. However, Allgeier had a stellar blitz pickup on Desmond Ridder’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Jared Bernhardt.

Qadree Ollison: This is pretty much a make-or-break season for the fourth-year running back, and he made the most of his chances. He carried the ball five times for 33 yards on 12 snaps, displaying excellent vision and burst. The running back competition will be fierce.

Dee Alford: Alford is battling for a roster spot but made quite the case to get regular season playing time. He led the team with eight tackles and even notched an interception. With the Falcons nickel position up for grabs as Isaiah Oliver recovers from injury, Alford should be a player to watch going forward.

Fallers

Jalen Mayfield: Contrary to popular belief, Mayfield was actually decent in limited action in the Falcons matchup against the Lions. The reason why he’s in the Falling category is that he looked just alright against a bad team’s backups. Vying for a starting position, Mayfield needs to be dominating reserve players. Instead, he looked average. That’s not going to be good enough to beat out Elijah Wilkinson.

Mykal Walker: Walker got the start next to Rashaan Evans but was a non-factor. He often looked lost against the run as the Lions’ first-team offense ran up and down the field. The linebackers also had a busted coverage that resulted in a big first-down gain.

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