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A handful of draft eligible receivers have worked out for the Atlanta Falcons as of late, but none have been as highly-regarded as the guy about to spend some time with the organization.
NESN reporter Zack Cox scooped a little bit of news about Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton, and where his next stop is (hint: it’s not the Chargers).
Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton, who met with Patriots receivers coach Chad O'Shea at his pro day, has a workout with the Falcons tomorrow. Also worked out for the Cowboys and met with the Ravens. Projected as a mid-round pick.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) April 5, 2018
So, Hamilton’s set to work out with Atlanta today, and let’s just say that’s a bit of fascinating news, considering where Hamilton is slated to go.
Our resident draft expert Kevin Knight took a look at the Nittany Lion receiver ahead of the combine and offered these thoughts.
If you prefer technically-proficient WRs, Daesean Hamilton might be the most polished in the entire draft. He’s not an elite athlete, but he’s got good size at 6’1, 205 and is a fiery competitor. Hamilton is unlikely to ever turn into a top-tier WR, but he offers early-career starting potential as a dependable and versatile WR3. His athletic testing will likely determine where teams are willing to draft him, but I’d begin considering him in the 4th-5th round range.
Hamilton would qualify as a bigger WR3 from what the Falcons have had in the past two seasons with Taylor Gabriel, though he appears to lack the explosive tendencies that made the latter such a dangerous option when used correctly.
He sounds like a great guy, and this quote NFL draft writer Lance Zierlein got from an anonymous AFC scout sums up why he might make the lights go off on the Thomas Dimitroff Draft Intangibles Radar (though, the scout’s draft placement assessment feels off).
“In this job you deal with some really good guys and some not so good guys. He’s one of the best. I think he goes undrafted, but I also think football is going to be a very small part of what he accomplishes in his life.” -- AFC team regional scout
Atlanta would likely take Hamilton with their late third rounder, or would hope to see him fall down to the bottom of the fourth round (or try to make a trade up the fourth’s pick wall) to get him in a Falcons uniform. Since this is, as Falcfans’ Aaron Freeman mentions (h/t for the Tweet), an official thirty visit, the team must have some legitimate interest in the wideout, and see him as a possible Gabriel successor.
This marks the third guy at the position to get that designation, so all signs point to Atlanta drafting a wide receiver at some point in the draft. We’ll see if Hamilton’s the guy.