Atlanta Falcon Draft Pick Capsules, Rounds Six And Seven
Let's wrap up the last two picks of what looks like a very good draft by rolling through rounds six and seven. We'll also have quick thoughts on a pair of undrafted free agents who the Falcons have signed, with more sure to come in the days ahead.
6th Round: Spencer Adkins, ILB, Miami: Adkins is about as close as you can get to the dictionary definition of a project. A physically imposing athlete with a lot of football intelligence, Adkins has a host of things he'll need to work on, including his coverage instincts, his wrapup tackling and his energy level. This is stuff he can work on, but Adkins has the basic skills to be a force on special teams early in his career. Eventually, he's got the potential to become a punishing backup for Curtis Lofton, and there's enough upside that he may actually become something more. Great gamble for the Falcons in the sixth round.
7th Round: Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech: Remember how I kept asking the Falcons to get a run-stopping defensive tackle? You're looking at the guy.
Walker is well-known for being excellent against the run, but apparently he's got no problem hitting the quarterback in the face every now and then. He'll have to work at his push up front to be effective in the NFL, but Walker projects as a very balanced backup defensive tackle in the pros with a little work. If given the chance, I think he'll be a familiar face on gamedays. With so many defensive tackles already on the roster, though, Walker needs a great pre-season and some breaks to get the opportunity. Very solid pick.
Undrafted Free Agent: John Parker Wilson, QB, Alabama: An interesting pickup by the Falcons. Wilson is not a huge guy, not a fast guy and not an incredibly accurate guy. He's just a guy who happens to be a decent quarterback.
I don't want to be unkind, but the absolute pinnacle I can envision for this guy would be as a backup quarterback, and that might be pushing it. He'll certainly give you a hell of an effort and he's a smart kid, but a guy with 30 interceptions in three years and a career completion percentage well under 60% isn't striking fear into the heart of Chris Redman. He's a worthy gamble for QB depth, but don't get your hopes up too much higher than that.
Undrafted Free Agent: Aaron Kelly, WR, Clemson: A tall, thin receiver with excellent hands, Kelly is an intriguing prospect for the Falcons. His biggest weakness isn't his lack of top flight speed--the Falcons have shown they can work around that--but rather his reputation as a weak blocker. Kelly's got upside and his pass-catching ability alone makes him worth a flier, but he's going to have to learn to block if he's going to stick around and have any kind of impact.
Your thoughts?
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quick opinions
Adkins: immediate depth at ILB – something we definitely need. I’d like him not to play much this season, but I do see him making an impact in the future with his skill sets.
Walker: is probably better than Jamaal Anderson. Alright… maybe a little too mean. The kid is big. When Trey Lewis blows his ACL eating a hamburger, he’ll be a nice clog in the middle to push us through the rest of the season and lighten the load on Jerry and Biermann.
JPW: beat Georgia last season. Maybe the Falcons are just being nice and giving this guy a humble paycheck to keep him going for a while before he goes off to sell insurance… or who knows, he may eventually replace our insurance salesman for a 2nd stringer
Kelly: will develop GREAT and will be a comfortable replacement for Finneran in a few years (maybe sooner)
I think that TD handled the tail end of this draft well. No longer looked at major positions of need, but rather for depth at positions we filled. I like how this played out and maybe these guys will develop. Our coaching staff scored major kudos in my book, they are trying to treat late round players like the projects they should be.
by MentallyMIA on Apr 27, 2009 1:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Actually,
After looking at Adkins a little closer, I think he might be an OLB – I was wondering why we needed another MLB – is Tony Gilbert on the outs?? Anyway, Adkins is a little small for MLB (he’s only listed at 230 pounds). Plus, if his listed 40 time is right (4.54 ??!), then he has the speed to play some OLB.
Walker is just another big body to compete for a spot. I’m not real high on him (and I’m a Tech fan).
Kelly has a chance to stick, if for no other reason than his height (6’5"). If he’s the replacement for Finneran, then great.
JPW is a waste of time. ugh.
by orang3b on Apr 27, 2009 8:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I saw Adkins listed near 250
I think he may have put on some weight after the season …
Reporter: How will you address all of the dropped passes?
Mike Smith: I don’t think that we were as sharp as we have been catching the football. It’s something that is very fixable. It’s VERY fixable.
by FrankyWren on Apr 27, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Still. if you're looking at Atkins, ..
You’d think of him as an OLB. I am in the minority that thinks he stays outside…
"We're not maxed out, ... The best is still ahead of us."
Bobby Bowden
by NaGaNole on Apr 27, 2009 11:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well, now I don't hate the Adkins pick as much...
Because I wanted Aaron Kelly in that spot.
And dammit, my DJ Shockley jersey better not be outdated in a few months…
by joshmassey on Apr 27, 2009 12:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hmm
I liked most of the picks, not at first, but after having time to digest them and do a little more research on all the guys we picked, I finally came to the conclusion that this was a very solid draft. We were in a difficult spot to be drafting and we made the best of it without giving up anything important, added depth to key positions, and probably got some very good long term investments.
I think Walker is going to be better than most think, and will outplay the current guys in the next year or so, maybe sooner.
The JPW pick doesn’t bother me if we are letting DJ go or Redman is leaving after this year. Outside of that, I don’t think he will actually make it.
"If Woody were Captain of the Titanic, he'd argue the boat sinking speaks to how effectively they put rich people in life boats and lock the poor folks below."
-jrauch commenting at Hoopinion on Woody's (non)logic in his post-game comments
by Jesse28 on Apr 27, 2009 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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