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Falcoholinks: All the news you need for Monday, Apr. 29

The post-draft edition!

Atlanta Falcons v Tampa Bay Buccaneers Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Hey folks, we made it through the 2019 NFL Draft. This was a pivotal class and it took some twists and turns, and now that we’ve had the weekend to digest it, here are some hot links and thoughts for your Monday morning.

The Falcons landed seven new players

Seven out of nine possible selections, with the Falcons jumping all around the board in pursuit of the players they wanted. They wound up with:

  • OG Chris Lindstrom
  • OT Kaleb McGary
  • CB Kendall Sheffield
  • DE John Cominsky
  • RB Qandree Ollison
  • CB Jordan Miller
  • RB/WR/KR/PR Marcus Green

The team’s oft-stated commitment to improving the offensive line translated into two first round linemen, and that plus their free agent investments should (and better) translate to drastic improvement. Cominsky is expected to be a useful, versatile piece on the defensive line, Sheffield has sky-high potential as an athlete with length at cornerback, Miller might take a year but offers a similarly exciting profile and might be more polished in coverage right now, and Ollison is an absolute battering ram with some speed to join a rebuilt running back groups. Green, who might be my favorite pick of the draft, is a hyper-versatile offensive piece with blazing speed who should be considered an early favorite to be the team’s returner.

Did this class land all the players I wanted? No, but that never happens. Did it attack all the positional groupings I thought were most important? Not even close. Did it land the Falcons seven genuinely talented players in a year where the Falcons themselves are acutely aware of how costly failure will be? Yes, and after their recent classes, I’m willing to let this one play out.

Undrafted free agents galore

While the team hasn’t made anything official to this point, they’ve been linked to a host of interesting undrafted players since the draft ended on Saturday. Here’s the list we know of:

UDFA Contracts

Camp Tryouts

Who’s your favorite on the list? We’re team Parker Baldwin at safety and Olamide Zaccheus at wide receiver, personally, and the Falcons have largely shied away from some of Kevin Knight’s top targets.

The Falcons aren’t done with their current group

The Falcons’ reported interest in linebacker Quincy Williams in the third round indicates they aren’t totally satisfied with their linebacker group, and their defensive end and center groupings could probably use some enhancement as well. Even with a 90 man roster and plenty of interesting UDFAs on their way in, don’t expect the Falcons to stand pat.

And here’s the current roster

Nuff said.