Atlanta Falcons Receive Mixed Grades For 2011 NFL Draft
by Dave Choate on May 2, 2011 8:00 AM EDT
in NFL Draft
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PrintWe had to know that with the Falcons' massive draft day trade, grades for the Atlanta Falcons have been all over the map. Yours truly will be much sunnier than most, but you'll have to wait a few hours for the landing.
You'll want to get caught up on a handful of grades thanks to Jason Kirk's excellent compilation post, which includes CBSSport's Rob Rang and Pete Prisco each delivering a B-. Meanwhile, ESPN's winsome draftnik Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Falcons a C+, which is entirely expected given his tendency to hate anyone who drafts ever.
Somewhere north of that is USA Today, who gives the Falcons a B. And on and on into eternity.
It's fun to grade drafts, but of course this is just an exercise is opining and puffing up expert credentials in the immediate aftermath of an event too big to grade so quickly. For that reason, these are fun to look at, vaguely instructive and not much else. C'est la vie.
Since the fun part is all that matters, deliver your draft grades in the comments. As I said earlier, my draft grades will land this afternoon.
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Tough one to grade
It’s stupid to say “Wait a year and see how it turned out” because thats what everyone would hope for when grading, but this one could really range from a D all the way through to an A based on Jones’ performance this year. The other bloke (Dent specifically) look like they could be solid contributers this year, even if just on special teams or keeping us stacked in the depth chart, but this draft will be won and lost with Jones’ performance. Grading it as it stands today, I’ll give it a B-
by Turner_The_Burner on May 2, 2011 8:17 AM EDT reply actions
Easy, I'll give us a J+
"I'm about rings now"
~Arthur Blank
by CollegePark4Life on May 2, 2011 8:32 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Like someone said yesterday
No one can truly understand how good this draft actually was unless you’re a falcons fan. Mel Kiper Jr. every year tends to forger about free agency. Comrad has already said we ARE going to get a DE from free agency (more than likely Ray Edwards who in an interview only mentioned atlanta as a place of interest). I think people are still stuck on thinking that we are in rebuilding mode, and they seem to forget that were a top tier team now. We drafted for explosion and big plays, not for missing starting positions. Based on what I know about this team, and what Mel and others clearly don’t, I give us an A-.
"The only problem with invading America isn't getting past their military, but dealing with the 80 million snipers once you're in."-Joseph Stalin
by dirtybirds233 on May 2, 2011 8:46 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Mixed bag
I think we paid a bit too much to get Julio (we’re gonna miss that 1st pick next year), but in terms of need, this was a fantastic draft for the Falcons. Recognizing Rodgers was still on the board in the 5th round an d trading up to get him was a great stroke, and the combination of Jones and Rodgers to the offense could be eye-opening. While we may have reached a tad for Dent (with no 4th pick, we may not have had much choice), but we got Andrews right where we should and Matthews was a steal at the end of the 7th. Picking a P/K in the 6th was baffling…I think he still would have been on the board in the 7th, but I won’t quibble; I think the Falcons got what they wanted, and he could immediately fill at least one important need without resorting to free agency. I give the grade a B-, with potential to go to A- if Julio shines.
If ATL has another very good year
then they won’t miss the #1 pick for the most part. It can be hard to address an “immediate” need in the bottome of the frist round.
I guess the way that I look at it is a little different
I don’t think we’ll miss the first round pick next year? What need hasn’t been filled this year? DE will be received via free agency. The only other possibility I see is maybe OLB but a first round draft pick isn’t required to get a good linebacker. Look at Lofton and Nicholas. We’ll be drafting backups next year.
kind of.
He’s more special teams and mostly backup to Lofton. I know he played OLB at UGA but I’m not sure of his playing speed.
I don't think so
I believe we’ll see Dent at OLB some. Then again a backup to Lofton won’t be a bad thing.
On running downs, maybe.
He’s been described as a liability in pass coverage, so I don’t think we’ll see him on passing downs, unless they decide to use him in a blitz package.
He's a liability only because of
lack of playing time in passing downs. Also Dent only had one year with a decent DC so no one really knows how good he can play.
According to other teams
we did not reach for Dent. TD has stated in an interview, that a team contacted him about trading for the Falcons spot in the 3rd round. When TD refused the trade and took Dent, at least one team indicated that Dent was their target as well.
A+
Because, why not?
"It's called Thanksgiving for a reason. If I can give and people thank me for it, that's kind of the thing that makes me feel great inside." - Dunta
Did you guys know Jacquizz Rodgers went to Arizona in the 5th round?
According to Solomon Wilcotts, anyway. But it was his best pick of day 3 of the draft so were are gettin some love even if they call us the wrong name lol
by FLA_Falcon on May 2, 2011 10:01 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I believe that most negative...
Grades are based on the trade and not the actual players taken.
Someone on SI gave us a D-. In short, no WR in the history of the NFL is worth 4 picks, especially when the drafting team sucks on defense, not offense…Given that we traded two picks from next year’s draft, we’re already slotted for a D next year, too…
Instead of grading what we did get: a stud WR, a stud RB (yes…a stud complement to Turner), a solid LB, a solid backup DE, a project linemen with intelligence and upside, and, well, a kicker (but a versatile kicker!).
While one can’t ignore the trade, one can’t knock a team soley because one disagrees with said trade. At a minimum, our draft is a B, even with the trade considered.
This season is odd, for the free agency signing period hasn’t started yet. Thus, this draft is viewed in a vacuum where the Falcons don’t sign (or lose) any players from last season. That’s shortsighted and ignorant. If this had been a normal year, Ray Edwards (or a similar FA DE) would have already been signed. Thus, the glaring need not addressed in the draft would have already been filled, and the pundits would be like the trade (a little) more.
I’m confident that we’ll address our other needs via FA, but, as others have stated above, it’s silly to grade any trade, draft, signing, etc. until a few years down the line.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
by Jman781 on May 2, 2011 10:05 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
All good points...
"It's called Thanksgiving for a reason. If I can give and people thank me for it, that's kind of the thing that makes me feel great inside." - Dunta
Only scary thing...
is if we can’t pull off the FA signing for a DE. We get outbid, and have to settle for a project, or no one. In that case, we have a problem, and the draft grade arguably goes down, because we neglected to fill glaring needs. We didn’t help our pass rush, and we didn’t help our secondary on pass defense.
The secondary doesn't need help
accept possibly to fill depth. There are a few really good safeties available as UDFA.
Solely based on how many needs were addressed
I’d give the draft a A-/B+. Dent is a good player, might have been a little bit of a stretch, but TD saw something he liked. I never like drafting P/K but this kid has good stats and it might be TD sending a message to Koenen.
If we don’t pick up a FA DE I would drop the grade down to B- at the highest.
agreed
You really can’t evaluate the trade right now, or possibly even next year. The Falcons made a statement with that deal…They want to win now! They are aware of the problems on offense regarding speed and they did what they had to to address it. For experts to criticize their draft at the moment is rather ludicrous. There is no doubt that Rodgers and Jones will have a major impact when they begin to play again. Not having Norwoods speed out of the backfield is quite noticeable as well as having no compliment to White. I had the Falcons selecting Matthews as well as Rodgers but I had them drafting Torrey Smith in the 1st round, not Jones.
Let's get this CBA resolved and play some ball!
Panther fan here........
I’d say you guys deserve at least a B+ grade. Could end up being an A+ in the end though.
The trade was a ballsy move and shows you guys are serious about winning a championship. From the stand point of having a draft party, you’ll miss the #1 next year. Aside from that, I don’t think it means too much. You’ll have a good enough record that it won’t be and “elite” pick anyway. The real fun is going to be all of the scenarios you guys will try to come up with next year to get back into the 1st. Take it from me, your moderators are going to have a ball.
I really like Julio Jones. A.J. Green is more polished but Jones, as good as he is, has lots of room to improve. I think Jones will have a better rookie season but mostly due to having a better QB. Your passing attack is going to be nasty as hell next season and I’m not looking forward to seeing it against us. The rest of your picks were solid and I believe filled a need and will be first year contributors. Best of luck in 2011.
The road to the Super Bowl is coming thru the NFC South this year!!!
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault. -Jack Tatum
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I agree...
Thank you for the kind words sir… :)
by Joseph K. Houston on May 2, 2011 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I disagree...
I just don’t like trading away future 1st round picks, regardless of how low on the list it might be…PERIOD!! This trade was too expensive…I think it should have been a 2nd or 3rd rounder to compliment the 4th rounder for next year but I can almost guarantee that this was the make or break point on the deal…if we didn’t include the 1st rounder for next season then Cleveland would have said no.
I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope J. Jones makes me eat my words and has one of the most amazing rookie seasons ever by a rookie WR and he has the talent and the work ethic to make that come true. I want to see the VLT hoisted so badly in Atlanta that I already have visions of the QB (MVP), players, coaches, general manager, and owner being interviewed after the SB VICTORY!!
That’s ALLOT of picks for one person, it doesn’t outshine the R. Williams draft by the Saints but it isn’t far off my fellow Falcons faithful…and we all know how that one ended up!!
If we get Ray Edwards…B+, if we don’t then we better start outscoring everybody, every game…D+
by Joseph K. Houston on May 2, 2011 11:28 AM EDT reply actions
This trade is about more than Julio's Rookie season
If you have that mindset going into it, then of course the trade looks bad. Instead, the trade brought another cornerstone to our offense for (hopefully) another 10 years or so. If we get even one championship during Julio’s tenure here, the trade will have been more than worth it.
by KMarch on May 2, 2011 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Eh...
I don’t like the analogy to the Ricky Williams trade.
The 1999 Saints were 6-10 in 1998 and had a lot more holes than our 13-3 Atlanta Falcons.
Also, the Saints gave up their entire 1999 draft for one player. To say that our trade is similar, is a slap in the face to Dent, Rodgers, Matthews, Jackson, Bosher, and each pick we have in next year’s draft.
Look around the league at how many players each team drafted. I know the Colts and Saints had good drafts to many; they drafted 5 and 6 players, respectively.
We drafted 6 players, too, even after the trade. Sure, most of our picks were at the end of the draft, but Rodgers, Jackson, and Matthews could have gone a round or two earlier. They are great values and help offset the loss of our 2nd and 4th round picks.
We were not going to solve all of our problems in the draft, trade or no trade. After scratching off stud WR, solid backup RB, solid rotational LB, and DE depth from our list, I feel much better heading into the free agency period.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
Ok...
they gave up 9 draft picks…we gave up 5!! How is my comparison not warranted? This is a VERY risky move and to deny that is just foolish. I do like our other selections allot, I think Rodgers will be a very solid pick for us.
As far as the record comparison and how many players other teams drafted…ok…not really sure how that applies…I know we drafted 6 players. I was just simply referencing another blockbuster trade of this type and it has the potential to be just as bad or become brilliant…time will tell all.
I do agree with most of your points though (except that the comparison was not warranted)…maybe I am just “Glass Half Empty” on this one
by Joseph K. Houston on May 2, 2011 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions
No worries.
You’re only expressing your concern. It’s a risky move—no doubt. I like our trade better, for we have less holes to fill and didn’t literally give up the farm.
We traded up from 27 to 6. Guess what pick Roddy White was in 2005? Staying home would have been safer, and Jones is not a guarantee. At a minimum, foolish or not, I like the message the Falcons are sending to the rest of the league and our fans: we’re going all in.
As a fan, it’s exciting to know that our owner wants to win and will do whatever it takes. Plus, as an added bonus, TD is actually good at what he does. Thus, even though this is a risky move, I feel better knowing that TD is calling the shots.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
True...
very true…
I like all the counter points allot…I am trying to come around and I think TD is brilliant in what he does!!
I have trusted Smith and TD thus far and maybe I just need to take a “Leap of Faith” on this one…
by Joseph K. Houston on May 2, 2011 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
JJ does not need to have an amazing rookie season to make the trade worth it
His job will be to do a few things:
Take double coverage off of RW
Spread out the LB’s to give TG more room to operate
Stretch out the field
If he does any of those and catches around 30 passes with a high catch rate I’ll be happy. Happy because the O will be much better in that scenario.
The issue with looking at the traded picks that way is their assumed value. That’s natural but putting assumed value in a pick is a bad way to go. If ATL had drafted a WR at 27 he most likely would not have contributed to the O at the same level as JJ might. Also, there is no way to guess who would have been selected with those other picks. While costly, I’d rather have one starter of impace than three back ups. A WR at 27 probably would not start in front of MJ nor be a #1 in the long room. If you look at the big picture JJ is probably going to be the replacement for RW.
The Ricky Williams comparison is a poor one at best. They are not even close. Williams never wanted to play football, Jones does. ATL is a much more complete team now than NO was when they pulled the Williams trade. Mike Smith and TD are much more intelligent than Mike Ditka also.
True...
I will certainly agree there is a HUGE difference in the character of J. Jones as compared to R. Williams…no doubt!! When you look at it beyond how I was looking at it…which is just the number of picks given for one player. Then yes, the comparison is not warranted except for one point…we now know how the Williams trade ended up…hind sight being 20/20 and all that. Agreed, TD is WAY smarter than Ditka.
Again, I really AM trying to get behind everyone on this and say this was great and as I stated, I hope J. Jones makes me eat my words. I will be the first one to post “Hey, was I ever wrong and this guy was well worth all we gave”…I “Dilfer’d” on that one…lol
by Joseph K. Houston on May 2, 2011 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
In fairness...
Look at Williams’s stats for his first 6 seasons, he was a good player. (In 2002, with the Dolphins, Williams had over 1800 yards and 16 TDs.) Heck, he had a decent 2009 season, too.
Thus, as mwalex points out, the trade of Williams was hurt by Williams’ character and mental health issues.
Hopefully, we avoid that with Jones.
I am bi-winning. I win not only here but also there.
I know...
he did put up solid numbers at times…I was just agreeing with Williams’ character assassination…lol
And I whole-heartedly agree…I hope those issues are avoided with Jones but with what I have seen thus far…“good character” is not something this guy lacks.
by Joseph K. Houston on May 2, 2011 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions
As to if we had not drafted Julio and stayed at 27
Mark Bradley today reported that all the DEs that the Falcons had interest in were already gone, and Gabe Carimi would have been our first pick. But yeah, it’s impossible to know what we would have done next year.
A high risk high reward draft
You should expect a mixed bag from the experts, but we either went for broke and got an A+ assuming most of our guys pan out and we’re able to sign Ray Edwards, but if (not saying he will) Julio fails, we’ll be looking at a very bad draft grade
"What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery. What we do today makes a difference - the precious present moment."- Nick Saban
by Richie Grogan on May 2, 2011 11:34 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Kiper
Has there ever been any any systematic attempt to compare Kiper’s draft day grades to reality? I mean, how did his grades after the 2005 draft look after the 2007 season? How did his 2006 grades look after the 2008 season? And so on.
We all take it as a given that draft day grades are almost pointless in their incompleteness, and yet we also take them serious enough to read them, compile then, and discuss them. So we should resolve the issue. Is Kiper doing a good job? And if he’s not, is anyone out there doing a better job grading the drafts? Is there any relationship at all between how a team’s draft day grades rank and how good that draft class eventually becomes?
all I know is
that our 2007 draft was the best graded draft from many ‘experts’ (we received many A’s), but that draft included JA98, Chris Houston, and a bunch of other no-names. However, to be fair, Blalock, Nicholas, and Snelling all came through that draft as well (even Laurent Robinson who is now with the Rams).
WHEW I'm still nervous!!!
I think JJ will be good, just don’t know if it will happen the first year. I think if we make it to the SB win or lose it’s gotta be an A, anything other than that will likely be a C or less.
I thought it was too many picks but I’m liking Julio more and more each day and can’t wait to see #11 catch the first bomb.
Imagine Roddy White drawing single coverage, that’s exciting.
“GO FALCONS”
Julio will be great out of the gate...
I just have a feeling. There, now that’s settled!
"It's called Thanksgiving for a reason. If I can give and people thank me for it, that's kind of the thing that makes me feel great inside." - Dunta
Cold Hard Football facts
Gives us a D-
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/kerry_byrne/05/01/draft.grades/index.html
Only the Jaguars got worse.
However there ratings don’t take player quality into account and only look if you picked players which they perceive to be needs. They also assume that the GB game was the only game we played all season.
About draft analysis..
It seems that the Saints are consistently getting the highest marks in the NFC. They also traded away their first round selection in the 2012 draft, meaning that they only thing that separates them and us is a fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft. That being said, is…
1 – Cameron Jordan, DE, California (5-9, 215); 1 – Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama (5-9, 215); 3 – Martez Wilson, OLB, Illinois (6-3, 250); 3 – Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville (5-11, 191); 7 – Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh (6-5, 264); 7 – Nate Bussey, OLB, Illinois (6-1, 228)
really that much better than….
1 – Julio Jones, WR, Alabama (6-3, 220); 3- Akeem Dent, ILB (6-1, 242); 5 – Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State (5-6, 196); 6 – Matt Bosher, K, Miami- Florida (6-1, 208); 7 – Andrew Jackson, OG, Fresno State (6-5, 299); 7 – Cliff Matthews, DE, South Carolina (6-4, 257)
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
It's very close...
but I say the Saints had a little bit better of a draft than us. Jordan could be a beast, and Ingram was the best RB in the draft. Wilson should be very good, but I’m not sure about the rest of their class.
Julio is better than anyone they got, and our late-round picks were better, so I say the classes are about equal.
"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." -John Wooden
I don't think Ingram was the best RB in the draft
He has not recovered from his knee injury and he was playing behind a NFL quality OL at AL.
A 5'9" DE? Unless he has a 7" wingspan, NO didn't do that well with their 1st #1.
I’m sad to see Ingram coming our way twice a year, but they may be toning down their user of RB25 or coming up with a “special sauce sandwich” for the rest of us to chew on.
How many more days, Lord, must I walk through the wilderness?
GO FALCONS!!
My bad
I just Control-C’ed that. He’s actually 6-4.
CAU: Pronounced 'Cow'. Cuteness Above Uggla, analytical measurement that gives a factor of a player's cuteness above Dan Uggla. For example,
Nobody has a positive CAU.
Martin Prado leads the league with a -0.0 CAU.
Jordan is more of a run stuffer
Same with Clayborn. I’m not worried.
Bummer. I was hoping to see a Grimes-sized DE trying to stuff the Burner.
Comparing to the New Orelans draft, I really hopeTD is the wizard he’s projected as.
How many more days, Lord, must I walk through the wilderness?
GO FALCONS!!
Why such low grades?
Does it really matter what picks we gave up? We still got SIX great players, and most importantly we filled practically every need we had.
Ya, they criticize the defense, but teams like the Patriots, Colts, Cowboys, and Saints have succeeded by having outstanding offenses and defenses that keep them in games.
Mel Kiper, you sir are an idiot. Better than a C+. You thought Mike Williams out of Syracuse would make the Hall of Fame. I’ll raise you one Julio Jones.
"My parents do a lot of things behind the scenes that go unnoticed"- Cam Newton, Heisman acceptance speech.
BTW
Our defense isn’t that bad as is – just to go on the record. We could maybe use a better pass rush, and more depth at CB and Safety. Otherwise, I think we’re pretty solid.
"It's called Thanksgiving for a reason. If I can give and people thank me for it, that's kind of the thing that makes me feel great inside." - Dunta
Andrew Jackson
I saw where he was 26 years old. Does anyone know why he is so late graduating??
Jackson
The only thing I did read is he was a 1st team all acedemic star before missing his senior year due to injury. He was graded to be drafted in the 4th round even missing his senior year. Providing he can stay healthy he could be a gem in the rough.
Let's get this CBA resolved and play some ball!
by Edgecrusher211 on May 3, 2011 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Seriously - I want to know the answer to this
Redshirted in 2006 @ Fresno State… that would mean he was 20 when he graduated HS. Academic All-Conference 3×... does not compute.
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein
I spend alot of time blogging on different sites and I’ve seen numerous grades, but I haven’t seen any F’s. Reasonable minded people realize the lockout and not being able to negotiate players caused the Falcons to look for other ways to present valuable compensation to move up 21 spots.
"In a dog eat dog world, you must have the mentality of a Pit Bull." -Phil Jackson
Here's the truth:
How many of the draft picks will see the field this year?
Jones – Potential to start.
Rodgers – 3rd Down Back
Dent – Special Teams
Jackson – (Hopefully he doesn’t, but might due to Free Agency)
Matthews – Rotational DE perhaps
Bosher – Probably will punt and kickoff with Koenen leaving.
If we picked 9 guys, we would not have 9 guys seeing the field. 6-6 is good for me, with my first round guy basically impacting the dynamic of the offense in a ridiculously good way.
The trade was high. Therefore, for me, it’s a B+
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