NFL Draft results: Vic Beasley arrives in Atlanta, and the pass rush transforms

The first day of the NFL Draft is in the books, and the Falcons walked away with the pass rusher they've craved for years in Vic Beasley. Not everyone was thrilled, but the implications of the pick are huge.

For a long time, the Falcons' approach to a pass rush was schemed pressure and everything John Abraham could give them. Under Dan Quinn, however, they're looking for truly impressive athletes who are, to borrow a Quinnism, as fast and physical as possible. They found that in Vic Beasley.

Quinn talked about Beasley's first-step quickness as really jumping out. Seeing him as a LEO and strong-side.

— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) May 1, 2015

Quinn talked about Beasley's first-step quickness as really jumping out. Seeing him as a LEO and strong-side.

— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) May 1, 2015

Beasley says he is most definitely a double digit sack guy.

— Jeanna (@jeannathomas) May 1, 2015

Beasley's going to have his struggles against the run, especially early, but he's going to be playing in a scheme that should emphasize his strength and hide his weaknesses. At LEO, in particular, he'll be tasked with zeroing in on the quarterback and reducing him to a fine powder, which is clearly what he does best. Beasley was insanely productive in college, and that production came from a combination of his insane athleticism, tenacity and good hand usage. He legitimately has room to improve, and the level he's at now still made him one of the best pass rushers in the NFL Draft this season, and easily the best option on this Falcons team.

You can't overstate how impactful Beasley could be. He's got the speed and talent to be a force off the edge, which means offenses will have to account for him, which could free up opportunities for others. If Adrian Clayborn can have a good year on the other side, the interior of the line does well with Jonathan Babineaux and Ra'Shede Hageman squatting there, you've got a line that has a chance of being quite good in 2015. Even if he takes a little while to get up to speed, I like Beasley's chances of being an asset, and perhaps even that elusive consistent pass rusher with those flashy, double-digit sack numbers. If he can approach that quickly, he'll be a very popular man in Atlanta, and even our most modest projections for him would blow last year's Falcons pass rushers out of the water.

In case you wondered, the Falcons apparently were in on Beasley for a long time—and a lot of us made that connection way back at the beginning of the year—and D. Orlando Ledbetter reported that they didn't have any real interest in grabbing Todd Gurley at #8, as suspected. Of course the team won't say anything different in that regard, but there's no particular reason to doubt them, given their needs. Where the team goes from here is anyone's guess, but they started off the 2015 draft with my ideal selection and upgraded the pass rush at last.

It is a damn fine beginning to this draft for a team in need of a great many new beginnings.