Falcons sign rookie OT Kaleb McGary, CB Kendall Sheffield

The Falcons have been busily getting their draft class under contract so they can focus their full attention (presumably) on the upcoming new deals for Grady Jarrett and Julio Jones. On Thursday, they managed to get 31st overall selection Kaleb McGary and fourth rounder Kendall Sheffield signed, meaning Chris Lindstrom is the only one left who isn’t under contract. That will likely change soon enough.

McGary was a polarizing selection, both because the Falcons moved up to get him and because there were questions about his short arms and some kind of weird incident with music in college that was probably nothing, I guess? If he turns out to be the player the Falcons think he can be, he’s going to be a mobile mauler on the right side of the line who should at least be solid in pass protection. If not, that’s going to be a scrutinized pick and trade for a long time. Hopefully McGary lives up to his promise and is a day one starter, with only Ty Sambrailo realistically standing in his way.

Sheffield won’t be pressed into a starting job right away, necessarily, but he’s got as much upside as anyone in this draft class. An elite athlete with length and physicality, Sheffield is a work in progress in coverage and will likely start the year as the team’s fourth or fifth cornerback. If he figures things out, he’s likely to be a starter for Dan Quinn, given the very real tools and physical makeup he brings to the table.

Welcome both gentlemen to Atlanta formally, and we’ll start hearing about them a little bit in rookie minicamp tomorrow.