SimonRath
05-02-2008, 10:54 AM
Round 1 (#3): Matt Ryan QB Boston College
When I first saw that the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan ahead of Glenn Dorsey I was so pissed. I mean we passed up a beast of a DT who could anchor our Defense for years to come. But after I thought about it and let it soak in, I realized that drafting Ryan was a smart choice. We really needed a franchise QB to replace Vick and attempt to get fans to forget him. Ryan has outstanding character and is the type of player you don’t have to worry about hearing on the news that he was arrested or charged with something. In my mind he’s the most NFL-ready QB in the draft and is the type of leader we need. Having a good is not great running game will help him a lot and we have some good weapons in Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Robinson which should help him. I expect him to be a very good QB for us for years to come.
B+
Round 1 (#21): Sam Baker OT USC
Some people would say that trading back into the first round to pick Sam Baker was a reach but to me it wasn’t. There were a lot of OT getting drafted in the first round and if we didn’t trade up we more the likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to pick a good/great LT to protect Ryan. Keep in mind that before Baker’s senior season he was a lock to be a first rounder which means he does have skills and could possibly block for Ryan for a decade. I would have liked to see the Falcons draft at least one more OT but next years draft class is loaded so we could easily draft one or two good ones next year to make up for it.
B
Round 2 (#37): Curtis Lofton ILB Oklahoma
Like most Falcon fans this is my favorite pick in our entire draft. Lofton looks like the next Lance Briggs but as a MLB. Lofton isn’t the fastest LB in the draft but he is an absolute beast in the middle. He is a great tackler who will destroy some RB trying to run over him. Having Lofton, Boley and Brooking/Nicholas is a very nice set of LB’s. I could easily see Lofton make four or five pro-bowls in his career and be a rock for us in the middle for years.
A+
Round 3 (#68): Chevis Jackson CB LSU
At first I didn’t like this pick because Jackson isn’t the fastest CB available, but I read about him and found out that he fits our defensive scheme perfectly. He faced top level competition in college and did very well. He is very physical in coverage and isn’t scared of coming up for run support. He doesn’t take risks in coverage which could lead to a big plays, instead he just does what he suppose to. Having him and Chris Houston on either side is going to look sick/ He’s just like Baker, Lofton and Ryan in that he has great character and wont make our franchise look bad.
B
Round 3 (#84): Harry Douglas WR Louisville
Again, at first I didn’t like this pick. I thought that if we drafted a WR in this draft that it would be a speed receiver to be our deep threat and run back kick and punts but Douglass makes sense to me now. Even though Douglas can run back kicks he is most likely going to be our slot receiver and be our Wes Welker. He has nice hands and was very productive at Louisville and is reliable in route running. He might have been a little reach in the third round but I applaud Thomas Dimitrof for finding guys with good character that he likes and drafting them before other teams do.
B
Round 3 (#98): Thomas DeCoud S California
Like Jackons, Thomas DeCoud was not the fastest guy available at the time but he’s a very smart football player. He is good/great at run support and isn’t afraid to make a big hit on a WR/RB. If he doesn’t pan out as our future starting safety we will still have an excellent kick coverage guy, which is more important then people think. DeCoud is another good character guy which I am very happy that Dimitrof went with these guys to be in our locker room.
C
Round 5 (#138): Robert James OLB Arizona State
James is a nice backup LB for us. He isn’t very fast but hes got good football speed. He is a good cover LB and like Lofton, isn’t afraid to get his head in there to make a nice tackle. He’s a very good tackler and doesn’t miss very many. If James doesn’t work out as a LB then we could possible try him at safety. His versatility is a nice plus.
C
Round 5 (#154): Kroy Biermann OLB Montana
Didn’t really see a good reason to draft 3 LB’s in the draft but I got faith in Dimitrof. I didn’t know anything about this guy when we first drafted him so I had to go searching for him in the web. I could see Kroy being used as a situational pass rusher to give Abraham and Anderson a rest. He has a nice motor which to me is great.
C+
Round 6 (#172): Thomas Brown RB Georgia
If Brown didn’t have some injury concerns coming out of college be probably would have been draft much higher. He is a very powerful runner who likes to run people over rather then juke them. Like DeCoud, he is an excellent kick off coverage guy who will probably make a name for himself there in his early years in the NFL. I love that we brought a home town product from Georgia who could hopefully be our third RB on our debt charts.
B
Round 7 (#212): Wilrey Fontenot CB Arizona
Our secondary is loaded after getting Wilrey. With Williams, Coleman, Stone, Houston, Jackson, Hutchins, Irons and Miloy I don’t see much of a chance that he makes the team unless he really impresses our coaches in training camp/pre-season. Could be used in special teams if he does make the team.
D
Round 7 (#232): Keith Zinger TE LSU
I thought TE was a bigger need then the seventh round but I guess Dimitrof has a lot of faith in the ones we have.
D
When I first saw that the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan ahead of Glenn Dorsey I was so pissed. I mean we passed up a beast of a DT who could anchor our Defense for years to come. But after I thought about it and let it soak in, I realized that drafting Ryan was a smart choice. We really needed a franchise QB to replace Vick and attempt to get fans to forget him. Ryan has outstanding character and is the type of player you don’t have to worry about hearing on the news that he was arrested or charged with something. In my mind he’s the most NFL-ready QB in the draft and is the type of leader we need. Having a good is not great running game will help him a lot and we have some good weapons in Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Robinson which should help him. I expect him to be a very good QB for us for years to come.
B+
Round 1 (#21): Sam Baker OT USC
Some people would say that trading back into the first round to pick Sam Baker was a reach but to me it wasn’t. There were a lot of OT getting drafted in the first round and if we didn’t trade up we more the likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to pick a good/great LT to protect Ryan. Keep in mind that before Baker’s senior season he was a lock to be a first rounder which means he does have skills and could possibly block for Ryan for a decade. I would have liked to see the Falcons draft at least one more OT but next years draft class is loaded so we could easily draft one or two good ones next year to make up for it.
B
Round 2 (#37): Curtis Lofton ILB Oklahoma
Like most Falcon fans this is my favorite pick in our entire draft. Lofton looks like the next Lance Briggs but as a MLB. Lofton isn’t the fastest LB in the draft but he is an absolute beast in the middle. He is a great tackler who will destroy some RB trying to run over him. Having Lofton, Boley and Brooking/Nicholas is a very nice set of LB’s. I could easily see Lofton make four or five pro-bowls in his career and be a rock for us in the middle for years.
A+
Round 3 (#68): Chevis Jackson CB LSU
At first I didn’t like this pick because Jackson isn’t the fastest CB available, but I read about him and found out that he fits our defensive scheme perfectly. He faced top level competition in college and did very well. He is very physical in coverage and isn’t scared of coming up for run support. He doesn’t take risks in coverage which could lead to a big plays, instead he just does what he suppose to. Having him and Chris Houston on either side is going to look sick/ He’s just like Baker, Lofton and Ryan in that he has great character and wont make our franchise look bad.
B
Round 3 (#84): Harry Douglas WR Louisville
Again, at first I didn’t like this pick. I thought that if we drafted a WR in this draft that it would be a speed receiver to be our deep threat and run back kick and punts but Douglass makes sense to me now. Even though Douglas can run back kicks he is most likely going to be our slot receiver and be our Wes Welker. He has nice hands and was very productive at Louisville and is reliable in route running. He might have been a little reach in the third round but I applaud Thomas Dimitrof for finding guys with good character that he likes and drafting them before other teams do.
B
Round 3 (#98): Thomas DeCoud S California
Like Jackons, Thomas DeCoud was not the fastest guy available at the time but he’s a very smart football player. He is good/great at run support and isn’t afraid to make a big hit on a WR/RB. If he doesn’t pan out as our future starting safety we will still have an excellent kick coverage guy, which is more important then people think. DeCoud is another good character guy which I am very happy that Dimitrof went with these guys to be in our locker room.
C
Round 5 (#138): Robert James OLB Arizona State
James is a nice backup LB for us. He isn’t very fast but hes got good football speed. He is a good cover LB and like Lofton, isn’t afraid to get his head in there to make a nice tackle. He’s a very good tackler and doesn’t miss very many. If James doesn’t work out as a LB then we could possible try him at safety. His versatility is a nice plus.
C
Round 5 (#154): Kroy Biermann OLB Montana
Didn’t really see a good reason to draft 3 LB’s in the draft but I got faith in Dimitrof. I didn’t know anything about this guy when we first drafted him so I had to go searching for him in the web. I could see Kroy being used as a situational pass rusher to give Abraham and Anderson a rest. He has a nice motor which to me is great.
C+
Round 6 (#172): Thomas Brown RB Georgia
If Brown didn’t have some injury concerns coming out of college be probably would have been draft much higher. He is a very powerful runner who likes to run people over rather then juke them. Like DeCoud, he is an excellent kick off coverage guy who will probably make a name for himself there in his early years in the NFL. I love that we brought a home town product from Georgia who could hopefully be our third RB on our debt charts.
B
Round 7 (#212): Wilrey Fontenot CB Arizona
Our secondary is loaded after getting Wilrey. With Williams, Coleman, Stone, Houston, Jackson, Hutchins, Irons and Miloy I don’t see much of a chance that he makes the team unless he really impresses our coaches in training camp/pre-season. Could be used in special teams if he does make the team.
D
Round 7 (#232): Keith Zinger TE LSU
I thought TE was a bigger need then the seventh round but I guess Dimitrof has a lot of faith in the ones we have.
D