Thomas Dimitroff works in mysterious ways. Or at least in confusing ways. In the 2018 NFL draft, most analysts had the Falcons tabbed for one of the top defensive tackles. With Vita Vea and Daaron Payne selected well before Atlanta picked, they were left with only Taven Bryan.
Luckily, the Falcons dodged that bullet and drafted Calvin Ridley. They passed again on defensive tackle in round 2, then surprisingly took Deadrin Senat in round 3, especially with Maurice Hurst Jr. dropping.
Two years later and we still don’t know much about Senat. He has looked good when he plays, but he rarely plays. He has been occasionally been a healthy scratch and more recently had Tyeler Davison solidify the starting tackle spot next to Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett.
Rookie second-round pick Marlon Davidson looks to cut into Senat’s limited snaps as well. Yet, with Davidson missing over a week of camp due to an injury, Senat has failed to do much, per Tori McElhaney of The Athletic.
...nothing really changed for Senat as Davidson worked through that knee strain. At least not in the way one would expect. Jarrett is obviously established at the defensive tackle spot, as is, to a certain degree, Tyeler Davison. But even in the absence of Davidson, Senat really hasn’t made a move.
If Senat was waiting for a chance to shine, that was it. Tyeler Davison already has the starting spot locked up and there was never even a competition. The Falcons then took Marlon Davidson early in the second round primarily to play tackle. Senat is now effectively buried on the depth chart and is reportedly failing to impress when given the opportunity, and is already limited as primarily a run stuffer.
Senat may not only be on the outside looking in on the starting job, but also a roster spot. There are not too many backup run-plugging tackles in the league. Especially ones that can’t do much in camp.