Atlanta Falcons Sign 2 Players in Pro Football Focus Top 50

The Atlanta Falcons are entering a season with high expectations for many players. Kirk Cousins ​​hopes to be one of the best players in the league, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson all want to reach 1,000 yards, and the defense is ready to do just enough to win games.

There’s no doubt the Falcons have at least two of the top 50 players in the National Football League. That’s a conservative claim, but Pro Football Focus considers it true.

In their 2024 list of the top 50 NFL players, PFF ranked two Falcons fairly low on the list.

It’s easy to argue that the Atlanta Falcons have the best safety and the best running back in the league. Jessie Bates III, in his first season in Atlanta, was a game-changer leading a resurgent defense. Chris Lindstrom was the leader of one of the best and most consistent offensive lines and was the most dominant offensive lineman for the second straight year.

However, that didn’t stop Pro Football Focus from ranking the players back-to-back as the 37th and 38th best players in the league.

The good news is that Lindstrom was the top offensive guard and was second to the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey (30th) among interior players. Bates was third among safeties behind the Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr. and the Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton.

Here’s what they said about the Dirty Birds star’s safety:

“A true ball-buster at safety, Jessie Bates III showed last season that he could take his skills to a new defense and continue to do a good job. He threw six interceptions for the Falcons, earning a PFF coverage grade of 90.2 to narrowly surpass his career-best grade with the Bengals on the first try. Bates is an elite coverage safety with the range to punish misguided passes.”

And the star offensive rear:

“It’s getting harder to argue that Chris Lindstrom is the best point guard in football after the last few seasons. He followed up a spectacular 2022 season with a nearly as good 2023, allowing just 15 total pressures and earning a PFF grade of 87.5 in run blocking. He was one of only two point guards to post grades above 74.0 as a run blocker and pass protector.”

According to PFF rankings, the All-Pro point guard is a top-10 player. Obviously, they factor in positional value, which explains his lower ranking on the list, but it shows how good the first-round pick has been.

A year from now, the Falcons will have more players on this roster with guys like Kirk Cousins, Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson poised for a massive season.