The Atlanta Falcons' 2010 NFL Draft is in the books, my friends. What a draft it was.
The team that has thumbed its nose at draft pundits for the last three days finished off the draft with its masterpiece, drafting Montana safety Shann Schillinger. You know how when people talk about a player being "scrappy" and "a real player," they're always talking about white guys? Yeah....Schillinger's pretty much the epitome of that type of player.
We have a real need at backup safety, so clearly the team drafted Schillinger to fill that need. At 6 feet even and just about 200 pounds, he's got average size, speed and tackling ability. Like college teammate Kroy Biermann, what he does have is an incredibly strong desire to destroy opposing players, great football instincts and excellent lateral agility. He projects as a long-term backup to William Moore at strong safety, as he's a bit better against the run than he is against the pass.
Many of you are already talking about Schillinger as though he won't make the team, but I think he's got enough talent and there's enough weakness in front of him that he'll stick. We'll see how he does, I guess.
Thanks for hanging out with us, everyone! We'll have more content this weekend, including capsules on each pick by Adam Schultz, Jason Kirk and myself, the start of a new series sponsored by Sprint, and the final post in our Great Roster Breakdown. Stay tuned!