2017 NFL Draft: Falcons show they prize broad jump performance with rookie class

Atlanta’s six man draft class is settled, and the common thread seems to be that the team selected high-upside players at positions of need, as we’ve previously noted.

There is another thread that binds these players together though, as the astute Aaron Freeman noted.

You’ll recall that Falcoholic draft guru Charles McDonald predicted the Falcons would prioritize the three cone drill and the broad jump for their draft class, particularly on defense, and he was proven prophetic. The team prizes the broad jump because it shows a player’s ability to explode through contact, something that every player in every unit needs to be able to do for Dan Quinn’s Falcons. The fact that this class hews along those same lines speaks volumes as to how important it is for Atlanta.

As you take a look at the incoming crop of undrafted free agents, it will be worth taking a closer look at their broad jumps to see which players best fit the athletic profile this team loves. A couple of them may wind up being on the 2017 Atlanta Falcons roster.