Falcons Are Seeing Maturity Early At Defensive End

Most of us are cautiously optimistic about the Falcons' young defensive ends. Malliciah Goodman, Stansly Maponga, Jonathan Massaquoi and Cliff Matthews all have talent, and the Falcons of 2013 and beyond will need them to step up and deliver quality play.

Osi Umenyiora has seen plenty of defensive ends old and new come through New York during his years in the Big Apple, so he likely knows what he's looking at. That's why his praise for Goodman and Massaquoi in particular is kind of awesome:

"They’re maturing," Umenyiora said. "They’re maturing very, very fast. Malliciah (Goodman) is a good player. (Jonathan) Massaquoi is very good also. These are going to be tremendous football players in this league."

This is no guarantee of success or anything, but it's encouraging to hear a veteran player who has had considerable success at his position talking up his young teammates this early.

What do you think of the young defensive ends?