2022 Atlanta Falcons Draft Class

Well, it has been a minute since I was able to sit down and share some of my thoughts on the Falcon’s 2022 Draft class.

As with a predictive mock draft method, you rarely end up getting any (If it all) of the picks right. However, I did correctly pick the Falcons taking Troy Anderson from Montana State with one of their two picks in the second round (58th overall). Here is the list of draftees below:

Drake London: Round 1, Pick 8

Arnold Ebiketie: Round 2, Pick 38

Troy Anderson: Round 2, Pick 58

Desmond Ridder: Round 3, Pick 74

DeAngelo Malone: Round 3, Pick 82

Tyler Allgeier: Round 5, Pick 151

Justin Shaffer: Round 6, Pick 190

John Fitzpatrick: Round 6, Pick 213

Overall, I thought that the Drake London pick was a little surprising but the 24 hours leading up to the start of the draft, rumor has it that teams were aware that the Falcons were very interested in him. I wasn’t sure that I wanted them to go WR that high as I felt like there were some talented guys in the second. Terry Fontenot ended up looking even better by picking his guy at eight because shortly after that there was a run on wide receivers and a few trades. London and PItts have such a high ceiling (pun intended as they are 6’4 and 6’6, respectively). Calvin Ridley will not be playing next season, but in thinking long term, the Falcons could end up with an awesome wide receiver group next year.

Since the team chose to go WR in the first round, I was very glad to see them go all defense in the second round. Ebiketie (college nickname was AK) and Anderson will be impact players pretty early on as both are incredible athletes. The defensive needed some injection of youth and talent. AK was touted by some as first round pick, so he has a lot of the traits that teams would want to add to their defensive front. I am excited to see how they develop this season and especially how the front office targets defense next offseason when they have some cap space to spend on proven players.

A few months ago at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL, there was a brief period of time that we saw a few credible sources state that Arthur Smith was a big fan of Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati. As I mentioned in my previous article here, I had Ridder as my number one QB on the board. I can’t tell you why teams waited forever to draft a quarterback (other then Steelers getting Pickent at 20 overall). I think that the consensus among the league was to focus on other positions with this being a pretty deep defensive / wide receiver draft. Nonetheless, the Falcons got their guy who could take on the mantle of a franchise QB. Personally, I think he fits the offensive scheme well and has a drive to be great per his stellar career in college as well as his recent interviews. To be honest, I could see him starting sooner then later especially if the Falcons are considering going QB with their top pick next draft. I think that the team will ultimately pick defense. That will be content for a future blog.

Their other third round pick was DeAngelo Malone from Western Kentucky. He has a large frame and has a great pressure rate throughout his college career. I think that he will be a great addition to the team‘s pass rush. Anything would have been better then last year. With Grady Jarrett resigning, he finally has some younger talent to help him on the edges. A great defense isn’t built overnight but I like some of these pieces they are putting together.

Lastly, they added a running back, guard, and tight end (primarily a blocker type) with their final three picks of the draft. Allgeier could find himself with an opportunity to ‘run’ away as the starter given that Cordarelle Patterson is basically a jack of all trades. Shaffer will add more depth to the offensive line that needs to improve and Fitzpatrick is going to help with blocking more then he will help with the passing game.

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In conclusion, I don’t have a grading system, but I do think that the Falcons had one of the best drafts in the league. It may sound biased, but it is true. They seemed to do an incredible job of grabbing players where there was a need mixed with BPA (Best Player Available). That is what this regime is about and they looked great sticking to that. Most interestingly they held that stance on quarterback even though we know now that Ridder was their QB1; they waited until the third round to select him.

Under the right coaching and opportunity, they could have just had a draft that could yield three to five starters moving forward. While this season may be full of losses, it feels really good to take a step toward a new chapter in franchise history. So much uncertainty about this team for 2022, but that new feeling of unknown potential brings cautious hope to Falcons fans everywhere!