Atlanta Falcons 2024 NFL Prospect Picks, Analysis and Spotlight | NFL Draft

2024 NFL TEAM Prospect Picks, Analysis and Spotlight

THE 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror. After a wave of selections from April 25 to 27, 257 players were selected to join the NFL.

With this, we provide you with our complete summary of the Atlanta Falcons‘ draft, with an analysis of every selection the team made over the weekend and an in-depth look at its top pick.

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2024 draft picks

Penix — It’s the first shock of the evening. Penix had gained more first-round buzz before tonight, but no one thought the Falcons were in the quarterback market after signing Kirk Cousins ​​this offseason. Penix was the only quarterback in college football to record more than 40 significant throws during the 2023 season. Atlanta clearly values ​​his skillset and will look to develop him behind Cousins.

Orhorhoro — Atlanta trades away its third-round pick to move up eight spots and take the 67th ranked player on the PFF big board. Orhorhoro is a powerful and athletic defensive lineman with some versatility along the defensive line. That hasn’t translated to high-level production at the college level, as he’s posted a grade below the 50th percentile on true passes over the past two seasons. With several talented interior defensive linemen on the board, this is a bet on his athleticism and continued development in the NFL.

Trice — Trice has been one of the most productive passers over the past two seasons. This is the right spot for him, as the Falcons finally get the defensive edge many expected them to grab early in the first round. Trice has earned over a 90.0 pass-rushing rating in each of the last two seasons and has accumulated 150 total pressures on 869 pass-rushing snaps over that span.

Dorlus — Dorlus was a force for the Ducks in 2023, as his 46 QB pressures ranked third among draft-eligible defensive tackles. His 134 total pressures since 2021 is the best mark in the nation over that span for his position.

Bertrand— A smart and competitive linebacker, Bertrand has added value in coverage and pass rush over the past few seasons and should be a solid contributor on special teams at the next level. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown in coverage over the past two seasons and has recorded a career-high 30 quarterback pressures as a blitzer in 2023.

McClellan— Alabama’s reliable fullback, McClellan has lost just one fumble in his career on more than 350 carries, displaying a solid balance of movement and contact on pace to force 49 missed tackles in 2023. He joins a stable of guards behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. , limiting his offensive ceiling in year 1.

Washington — It took a few years for Illinois’ offensive system to finally break out, but Washington is a reliable blocker and smooth player who has racked up 13 contested catches in 2023. He could find his way into a rotation if he can prove his worth on special teams. , something worth betting on because of his competitiveness and sneaky athleticism.

Logue — The Falcons are drafting an interior defender for the third time in this draft. Logue is coming off his best season, reaching career highs in overall rating (71.2) and run defense (72.7) in 2023. Considering the players drafted ahead of him, he will face an uphill battle for snaps as a rookie.

PROJECT GRADE: C-

Prospect Spotlight: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington

Scouting Summary

Penix has been a productive quarterback in Washington’s Air Raid system over the past two years. He shows NFL-caliber distance and speed on a variety of different throws, mostly outside the numbers.

Penix can attack the midfield, but it’s not as natural. He also tends to throw with too much power. He can be a little late in the timing of his throws, choosing to put more juice on passes rather than more air underneath. This lends itself to a lack of consistent ball placement. He also opts for bigger throws and fewer layups, even when they are available.

Above average wins

WAA represents the number of wins a player is worth compared to an average college football player and is a metric that evaluators can use to evaluate performance. It combines a player’s performance in each facet of the game (using PFF grades) and the value of each facet in winning football games. The result is a first-of-its-kind metric that allows for multi-position evaluation and predicts future value at the player and team level.

How Penix Ranks in Stable Metrics

Although Penix doesn’t compare to others on consecutive drops, he still earned a PFF grade of 87.1 on non-play-action plays. He has been elite at avoiding sacks throughout his career and plays well with a clean pocket.

In 2023, Washington’s signal-caller produced a 92.9 passing grade and 0.9% turnover-worthy play rate, both among the top 10 among all qualified quarterbacks.

The essential

Penix has NFL-level arm talent on top of two years of good health and top-tier production in a spread shotgun offense. However, to become a consistent starter and top-15 quarterback in the league, he will need to clean up his footwork, throw with more anticipation and touch (which will improve ball placement), as well as be ready to attack in the middle of the field. field.