New Atlanta Falcons: DE/OLB Kroy Biermann

via www.montanagrizzlies.com

We resume our popular feature with the fit that officially made me flip out: tweener Kroy Biermann. While it's certainly not his fault he was draft, his listing as an OLB on the ESPN draft board sent me into a fit of rage. Rather than dwell on that, let's take a look at the pros, cons and likely role for young Kroy, after the jump.

History: Excelled in I-AA, even winning the Buck Buchanan Award for being the nation's most kickass defensive player at that level. Many scouts projected him as an outside linebacker in the NFL, hence his inclusion at that position despite playing much of his prolific career at defensive end. Kroy also was a high school track and wrestling star.

Pros: Despite not being the biggest dude on the block, Biermann is hella strong. He's also got better speed than his 4.82 40 would indicate and what scouts annoyingly call "a good motor." Because of these two things, he projects to be an effective pure pass rusher at the NFL level.

Cons: He's not overly big, which means he doesn't match up well against bruising running backs or strong tackles. He'll likely need others to tie up the offensive line for him to be truly effective. His better than average speed isn't complemented by a lot of agility, which leaves him with little choice but to motor after his target and hope he can close. Might project to be a Josh Mallard type in the sense that he will be used as a pass rusher and to spell ends and linebackers.

Role: Biermann is likely to be little more than a versatile backup who helps out on special teams and might pile up a surprising number of sacks. He's fine for depth and might grow into something more, but his role with the team is likely to be very limited in his freshman campaign.

Final Thoughts: Out of the picks we've examined thus far, I think Biermann was the weakest. As a classic NFL tweener, the dude can help out in small ways all over the place but I can't explain why he was a more attractive option than some of the other players left on the board. I wish Biermann well, but we likely won't hear much about him during his first season.