2022 NFL DRAFT DEEP DIVE: ATLANTA FALCONS
By Thomas Willoughby
The NFL Draft is over, and we cannot head into the three-month abyss that is the offseason without looking at what all 262 selections mean for each franchise. Whilst too early to judge just how successful a draft class each team’s was, we can look at how rookies fit within schemes, where they stand on depth charts, and who we can expect to make an impact in 2022. We continue our team by team series with the Atlanta Falcons:
Draft Haul
| RND | PICK | PROSPECT | POS | SCHOOL |
| 1 | 8 | Drake London | WR | USC |
| 2 | 38 | Arnold Ebiketie | DE | Penn State |
| 2 | 58 | Troy Andersen | LB | Montana State |
| 3 | 74 | Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati |
| 3 | 82 | DeAngelo Malone | LB | Western Kentucky |
| 5 | 151 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | BYU |
| 6 | 190 | Justin Shaffer | OG | Georgia |
| 6 | 213 | John FitzPatrick | TE | Georgia |
Day One
Much like in 2021, the Falcons had a top 10 selection. And, in a similar vein to the season prior, that selection could have gone a number of directions. With the trade of Matt Ryan earlier in the off-season, some mused over the possibility of a quarterback early. Our own Rory Daniels projected Jermaine Johnson II to help an anemic pass rush. Instead, Terry Fontenot and company elected to give Arthur Smith another weapon for his offense.
The selection of Drake London will have no doubt raised an eyebrow or few, given the depth in the position, and his perceived lack of dynamism. He lacks breakaway speed and separation ability, however he makes up for it with his catch radius, and ability to win 50/50 balls.
More than anything, the Falcons needed to add to the receiver position this draft. Having not really replaced Julio Jones in 2021, and also losing Calvin Ridley to suspension in 2022, they absolutely couldn’t ask Marcus Mariota (and a rookie?) to be targeting Auden Tate and Olamide Zaccheaus for this year. London slots into the WR1 role day one, and should be a reliable option, with the scope to improve, for whoever lines up under center this season.
Day Two
The Falcons enjoyed 4 picks on day two., and opted to shift the 43rd overall pick, as well as their fourth rounder, to the New York Giants, in order to move up 5 slots. There, they selected Arnold Ebiketie, defensive end, Penn State. Ebiketie spent the first 3 seasons of his college career at Temple, managing 6 sacks, and 10.5 tackles for loss. He exploded following a transfer to Penn State, however, eclipsing those numbers in his single season with the Nittany Lions. 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in one season is pretty good going, and Atlanta will hope that his steady improvement across his college career will continue at the professional level. Ebiketie calls himself “Dr. Pass Rush”. Given the Falcons as a team managed fewer sacks than TJ Watt did individually in 2021, I think they’d settle for “Student Nurse Pass Rush”.
20 picks later, Atlanta went back to defense, and selected Troy Andersen, linebacker from Montana State. The Falcons lost Foyesade Oluokun earlier in the offseason, so they did need to address the position. Andersen is a wild one, given he entered college as a running back, then quarterback, before becoming a linebacker for his final two seasons. His QB experience should indicate that he has the noodle to give him the edge in defensive assignments, but the draw with Andersen is his physical make up. Per his RAS, Andersen’s combination of speed and size is off the charts. With a bit of seasoning, the Falcons might well have their long term answer at linebacker.
Atlanta decided to end the QB slide early in the third, by adding Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati to their QB room. The slide may has surprised some, given many teams reportedly considered him a first round prospect. At the top of the third round, however, the Falcons should feel comfortable taking a swing. Ridder will have the opportunity to compete for the starting role over the summer, and you can be confident that he’ll be the starter at one point or another before the season ends.
With their final pick of the day, Atlanta called in Atlanta native DeAngelo Malone, listed as an outside linebacker, but more likely an EDGE defender. Malone’s selection adds another body to the Falcons barely professional defensive line, and gives them someone with a great deal of potential. Malone would have been forgiven for leaving Western Kentucky in 2020, following an 11 sack junior season. He opted to stay on, however, which led to a production dip in 2021. 8 sacks in 2022 was enough to keep him on the radar, and Atlanta will hope that he and Dr. Pass Rush can form a formidible duo.
Day Three
Day three, and the Falcons had three picks to try and fill some of the remaining holes on their roster of Swiss cheese. In the fifth round, the call was made to Tyler Allgeier, running back from BYU. The Falcons opted to release 2022 starting running back, Mike Davis, not long after the drafts conclusion, which certainly indicates their belief that Allgeier can become more than just a situational back in year one. 1601 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2022 is a good return by anyones standards. Given how the Falcons generally struggled on the ground in 2021, they certainly hope he can carry some of that production over, both in 2022, and beyond.
Justin Shaffer, offensive guard from Georgia, and another Georgia native, feels like a selection from leftfield. There’s no denying his credientials as a 2 year starter on a successful Georgia Bulldogs team, but he doesn’t really fit the mould of what the Falcons are trying to do. Touchdown Emperor, Simon Carroll, noted his lack of lateral movement. Given the Falcons are hoping to run something of an outside run scheme, that doesn’t really bode well for his chances of making it. Given Jalen Mayfield’s struggles at left guard in 2021, however, he might be in the best possible spot to achieve NFL status. If nothing else, it’s nice that the Falcons have drafted both him and his cousin, the aforementioned DeAngelo Malone.
Atlanta ended their weekend by adding a valuable piece to the Arthur Smith offense. John FitzPatrick, another Georgia Bulldogs product, is more of a throwback tight end than anything else. Across 2021, FitzPatrick managed 83 yards recieving across 15 games for the Bulldogs, suggesting his value is as a blocker. Given how Smith utilised Lee Smith in 2022, however, expect FitzPatrick to play more than a part in the Falcons’ offensive efforts, assuming he makes the cut.
One To Watch: Desmond Ridder
Given the Falcons have just enjoyed 14 years of very good to elite quarterback play, it’s difficult to not be excited, or at least intrigued, as to how they plan on replacing him. Former 2nd overall pick, Marcus Mariota, has spent the past two seasons backing up Derek Carr in Las Vegas, and you’d expect him to have the inside track on the starting quarterback gig in 2022. For Desmond Ridder, however, you have to expect the door to be open for a real shot.
On paper, Ridder should have everything you want from an NFL quarterback. 6 foot 3, and a 4 year starter for Cincinnati, Ridder has been productive. It shouldn’t be any surprise that the Bearcats’ rise of prominence has coincided with his tenure as their starting quarterback. While he can’t be considered solely responsible, he certainly played more than a part in that success.
As an athlete, also, Ridder ticks all the boxes. To come back to RAS, Ridder is an upper tier talent, and that certainly translates on the field.
Desmond Ridder is a QB prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.8 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 18 out of 831 QB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/xc4lrKVVko #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/XT9Ylcjc9P
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2022
Across his college career, Ridder managed 10239 passing yards across 48 starts, and 87-28 TD-INT spread, and added a further 2180 yards, and 28 touchdowns, with his legs. He might not look like it, but Ridder is as proficient a runner as he is a passer, and that versatility no doubt drew comparisons to his new teammate; Marcus Mariota. Given Mariota has never played more than 15 games in a season, and the difficulty of the Falcons schedule this season, Ridder feels a safe bet to start for the Falcons at some point this season. Whether he has the ability to hold onto that status beyond 2022 remains to be seen. Fortuntely, for the Falcons at least, he was taken just low enough that they won’t (or shouldn’t) feel married to him if things go sideways.
UDFA Tracker
| PROSPECT | POS | SCHOOL |
| Jared Bernhardt | WR | Ferris State |
| Stanley Berryhill | WR | Arizona |
| Kuoni Deng | OLB | California |
| Matt Hankins | CB | Iowa |
| Brad Hawkins | S | Michigan |
| Timothy Horne | DT | Kansas State |
| Tyshawn James | WR | Central Conneticut |
| Nathan Landman | LB | Colorado |
| Bryce Rodgers | DT | UC Davis |
| Derrick Tangelo | DT | Penn State |
| Seth Vernon | P | Portland State |
| Tyler Vrabel | OT | Boston College |
| Leroy Watson | TE | UTSA |
If you’ve made it this far, first of all thank you for not checking out, but secondly you’ll have no doubt noticed that I’ve blagged my college knowledge. It was hard enough trying to sound learned regarding top prospects, let alone UDFAs, so apologies if my ignorance shines through here. Of the above names, however, the ones to keep an eye on are Seth Vernon, and Tyler Vrabel. In Vernon’s case, the Falcons opted not to resign veteran punter Thomas Morstead. They head into their off-season programs with Dom Maggio and Seth Vernon vying for the job. That said, it wouldn’t be a shock for the Falcons to add a veteran as we head into pre-season.
The intrigue surrounding Tyler Vrabel starts with his surname, but, fortunately, doesn’t end there. Yes, his dad is the Tennessee Titans head coach. Yes, his new head coach worked for his dad for years. But Vrabel is a prospect in his own right. Our man Si had him as a 5th round prospect, so to snag him as a free agent might be a major coup for the Falcons. Current right tackle, Kaleb McGary, has not seen his 5th year option picked up by the Falcons. If he can flash enough, he might be in the conversation for that long-term gig.
Conclusion
The Falcons just need talented players, regardless of the position. While some (myself included) won’t love the selection of Drake London, you can at least understand the pick. They went into the draft desperately thin in just about every position, and came away from Las Vegas with a collection of players that, by hook or by crook, will start games in 2022.
Now, whether those players can hit their repective ceilings is the challenge for this coaching staff. Whether it’s harsh to judge a class after one year or not can be debated for the rest of time, but it’s undeniable that the Atlanta Falcons got barely any value from their 2021 haul. To the point where some of the fanbase question how many will be on the roster by the end of their rookie deals.
There is a lot of talent in this collection of rookies, and it isn’t unreasonable to expect more than one of them to play a prominent role in 2022. IF Arthur Smith and his staff can coach at the level they believe they can, we might be looking back on this class in the same way we did the Falcons’ 2016 class. If the coaching falls short, it could be a long season for these rookies. Make no mistake, it’s an intriguing group.
Thomas Willoughby
NFL ANALYST & SOCIAL MEDIA
THOMAS IS A WRITER AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT PROVIDER FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER