Allison Smith
April 29, 2024
After being the most talked about team from night one, after taking a quarterback at 8 after just signing a $100 million quarterback in free agency, the Falcons rebounded with four back to back defensive players, filling current and future/rotation needs.
The Falcons moved up a few spots in the second round to take Clemson Defensive Tackle, Ruke Orhorhoro, just before a run on DT’s began. Then in the 3rd through 5th rounds, Linebacker Bralen Trice, DT Brandon Dorlus and another LB, JD Bertrand. With 3 picks in the 6th and final round for the Falcons, they drafted a Running Back, Wide Receiver and another DT. These will be development players, playing some on special teams and seeing if they stick on the team or not.
After being legit angry for nearly 24 hours, including driving 4 hours back from Atlanta, listening to 92.9 The Game the whole way, I was starting to calm down and buy in, but then triggered again, then calmer again. By the time the 2nd round pick came in, I was 15% less angry with Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris. I had full faith until that 1st round pick, but trying to come around and believe they have a plan.
As a Clemson fan, I was very happy about Orhorhoro, I know he is a beast. I’ve heard his name 1000 times in Clemson games. I’ve seen how disruptive he has been and can be in the NFL. Ruke is excited to join former teammate AJ Terrell and another Clemson legend, Grady Jarrett….who he will be able to learn behind. Ruke wants to prove he was worth trading up for. At 6 foot 4 and nearly 300 pounds, he had 12 starts, 22 tackles, 8 for losses and 5 sacks in his last year at Clemson. And was even more often, around the ball. Ruke is versatile and can play any position on the line and was considered a top 5 DT.
Bralen Trice is out of Washington, the near 2023 National Champions, so you know he has good experience on the field and in big pressure situations. Trice will be a great edge rusher, which is a definite need for the Falcons and should be contributing early on. He started 15 games, amassed 49 tackles, 11 for loss and 7 sacks in his final season. Trice was the top player in all of college football in the last two seasons for pressures.
Not to confuse Bralen with Brandon….but in the 4th round, the Falcons drafted Defensive Tackle, Brandon Dorlus from Oregon. Dorlus will make a great addition to this line, whether starting or in rotation learning behind Jarrett and David Onyemata. Dorlus started 13 of 14 games with 25 tackles, 6 for loss and 5 sacks. At 280 pounds, Dorlus is a little small for a nose tackle, but is versatile and can move to other locations on the line.
Note that sacks are starting to add up already with these additions and you can’t outrun everyone, so if you escape Ruke, Bralen, or Brandon, there will be someone else waiting for you.
In the 5th round, the Falcons continue on their defensive draft and snapped up another Linebacker, JD Bertrand from Notre Dame. A homegrown product from Alpharetta, GA, making his family happy for short drives to home games. In 12 starts, Bertrand had 76 tackles, 7 for loss, and a forced fumble. He led the Irish in tackles in his last 3 seasons. Bertrand seems to match the current linebacking core in makeup, personality and play. Hopefully he will be the force that Kaden Ellis, Troy Anderson, and Nate Landman have been in their short times in Atlanta. Bertrand is likely not a day 1 starter, but has a great group to learn behind and grow with and rotate in quickly, specifically behind Landman.
All of these guys have played college since 2019, so they are a little older, but also more experienced and more mature. I believe that was intentional by Fontenot and Morris.
While trying to buy in to the draft so far, one must remember that the only constant over the last few years is Fontenot. Not only is the head coach new, his coordinators are new to being coordinators and everyone is bringing fresh eyes to the game. The guys just drafted (and obtained in free agency) fit what this new regime has planned.
Now, it gets a little sideways for me again, but going to try to assume that Fontenot and Morris have a plan. They are drafting and planning for their jobs, I just want to have a team to win games, they NEED this team to win, and win NOW.
In the 6th round, the Falcons had 3 picks and selected Alabama Running Back, Jase McClellan, Illinois’ Wide Receiver Casey Washington, and then another DT, Zion Logue from Georgia. McClellan and Washington will likely be on special teams for a while, but a roster spot is a roster spot. Logue is a straight up Nose Tackle at 6 foot 5 and 315 pounds. If he can learn and follow from the current defensive line, he can win a spot onto the final roster as well. These later rounds aren’t necessarily for finding starters, but diamonds in the rough, special teamers, practice squad guys.
One of my biggest questions is the lack of drafting a cornerback (CB2), but maybe he is already on the roster, he just needs to be coached up. Several were obtained in free agency (Clark Phillips, Kevin King, Antonio Hamilton) and others were already on the roster (Dee Alford, Richie Grant), so with new coaching, maybe he identifies himself in mini or training camp. I have to believe that Fontenot and Morris know they need a corner opposite of Terrell.
The second big question is money….isn’t it always? Can we pay everyone that we need to pay. As I type this, the Falcons exercised their 5th year option on Tight End Kyle Pitts. Terrell will need to be dealt with next year at the latest, it would be smart to lock him in now, just in case he gets even better. We don’t know if Calius Campbell is coming back….and if so, will he take a discount to stay one more year in The Atl? We don’t want to start restructuring too many contracts and get into the same mess we were in previously, but again, smarter people than me, that are fighting for their jobs know that.
The more I think that way, this isn’t “just” a job for Fontenot and Morris, this is their livelihood and you have to believe that Fontenot, for sure, is on a short leash. Being evaluated on what he can do separated from former coach Arthur Smith. Can Morris redeem himself as a head coach and take Atlanta to the promised land?
Seems that some of these picks, or lack of picks say that this coaching staff and GM think this team is set now and ready to “Win Now.”
With that said, I close by saying, when Raheem Morris was announced as the new Head Coach, and held his first press conference, while being so excited to have Ra back, tearing up some, I felt (and have told countless people) that I had a good feeling and am planning to travel to New Orleans next February to watch us win the Super Bowl. So, as the days move farther from the shock of the draft, I am still saving my time and money and planning on a Super Bowl win for my Falcons.
#RISEUP #DIRTYBIRDS
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