Falcons Draft 2014: Atlanta Selects Notre Dame OLB Prince Shembo With The 139th Pick

With the 139th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons have selected Notre Dame OLB Prince Shembo with their fourth round compensatory pick. We turned Brent Grimes into a Prince. Bravo, Dimitroff.

Shembo has an elite last name, but lacks the closing speed you want for a starting pass rusher. He will probably be used quite regularly on special teams. Shembo is an undersized, high-motor prospect that will likely battle against right tackles. He sounds a lot like a Kroy Biermann-type that will probably be slowly worked into the lineup.

Draft Insider called Shembo one of the more underrated defensive prospects of the 2014 draft, believing the rest of the Notre Dame defense overshadowed his accomplishments. You can see some Shembo tape over at Draft Breakdown.

As you can see at at National Football Post, Shembo isn't quite the athletic freak we saw in rounds two and three.

For his career, Shembo had 97 tackles, 19 tackles for losses, 14 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The 6-foot-1, 253-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. He bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times and had a 38.5-inch vertical leap, a 10-2 broad jump, a 4.31 in the 20-yard shuttle and a 7.29 in the three-cone drill.

The 2014 draft has been fairly un-Thomas Dimitroff. No trade ups on day one or day two. Expected targets drafted from right under them. Guys who have been arrested? Size/speed freaks? Has Dimitroff died? Is the plot to Weekend at Bernie's being played out within a major football organization?

It is an exciting approach, at least in the fact that Dimitroff has realized his previous drafting excluded too much talent, and Atlanta has loosened the Falcon filter while also selecting some true developmental players. Atlanta selected two guys who may not play much in 2014, defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman and safety Dezmen Southward, but have the physical abilities and potential to become some of the top players at their positions. Dimitroff has far too long selected the lower-ceiling but higher-floor individuals.

This is remarkably different. Shembo was connected in some way to a sexual assault of someone who later committed suicide. He proclaimed his innocence and was never charged, but it is something you don't see from the typical Dimitroff draft class.

We returned to earth with smaller FSU running back Devonta Freeman near the top of the fourth round, but he is a player who could contribute early and replace Jacquizz Rodgers after his contract expires next year. Shembo is another guy who is a "more complete" prospect that can grow only so much in the pros.