Clowney Wants to be an Atlanta Falcon

The combine is going forward with full force. College players from all around the country are being critiqued by 32 NFL teams and the twittersphere is struggling to comprehend why a prospect has hands half-an-inch smaller than they appeared on tape.

Oh, and Clowney showed up yesterday. No big deal. He measured in at 6-foot-5 1/4 and 266 pounds, a bit shorter than expected (like most prospects) but it looks like he has dropped some weight. Hopefully that allows him to be a more explosive player, measured out in drills in the next few days. Good for him.

I wonder what Clowney had to say when asked about the Atlanta Falcons. Per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com:

"I wish they could trade up for me," Clowney told ESPN.com, "but I hope I don’t fall to No. 6. I like Atlanta – a lot. They’re pretty good. They’ve got some guys from South Carolina on the team, also. And it’s close to home."

This is great news. Or I guess it is the more diplomatic way of saying, "I hope I don't have to go to Oakland."

It would be great if there was mutual interest and Dimitroff was just talking about trading up. Even though according to Mike Mayock, the Falcons won't even have to trade up.

The connection just makes a ridiculous amount of sense for both parties. Atlanta may get their most explosive and rare athlete since the last one... didn't quite work out as planned. Dimitroff has shown he will trade up to get his guy. Julio Jones. Desmond Trufant. Sam Baker. Both great players who fit positions of need. The Falcons are short a defensive end, or probably two, three, even four of them.

Clowney's quotes should make the Falcons even more infatuated with the South Carolina defensive end. The fit seems perfect. This is only another reason to get a little more excited about the upcoming draft.