Draft History

2009 Draft

This has largely been a lost season for this particular draft class.  Their top two picks defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore were lost prematurely due to injury and finished the year on injured reserve.

Third round pick Chris Owens landed in the starting lineup due to injuries at corner back.

Fourth round selection Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. has been a bit of a disappointment and has not been the pass rusher the team hoped they were getting in the fourth round.

Seventh round draftee Vance Walker worked his way into the defensive tackle rotation by the middle of the season.

Spencer Adkins and Garrett Reynolds have seen little to no playing time while William Middleton failed to make the team.

Grade: Inc.  Incomplete due to losing its top two players to injury during the season so it is hard to make an assessment on the overall progress of the player taken last spring.

2008 Draft

This was one 0f the Falcons strongest classes in recent memory.  Matt Ryan, taken third overall, quickly made Falcons fans forget the Michael Vick era as he led the Falcons to an 11-5 record and a playoff appearance.

With the 21st pick of the draft the Falcons selected left tackle Sam Baker who ended up winning the starting job out of camp last summer.

Second round selection Curtis Lofton assumed a starting role as well and in his second season assumed the role vacated by Keith Brooking at middle linebacker and has emerged as a team leader on defense.

Third round selections Thomas DeCoud and Chevis Jackson have seen extensive action in the secondary for the Falcons.  DeCoud has assumed a starting role at safety while Jackson has seen time at corner.

Fifth round pick Kroy Biermann has shown some flashes as a pass rusher but his production is still too inconsistent.

Third rounder Harry Douglas put up solid numbers as a backup receiver during his rookie season but missed all of 2009 with an injury.

Grade: A.  It is pretty rare for a team to land three starters right off the bat who are key contributors to a playoff run.  Lofton, Baker, and Ryan are three players how have potential Pro Bowl runs in them.

2007 Draft

Jamaal Anderson, taken 8th overall, has been a huge bust for the Falcons thus far.  Atlanta was hoping it was getting a stud pass rusher to line up opposite John Abraham, but, In his two plus seasons in Atlanta he has registered a meager 2.5 sacks.

Second round selection Justin Blalock has established himself as the team’s starting left guard.

Atlanta’s other second rounder, Chris Houston, has been one of the team’s starting corner backs for the past couple of seasons.  He has been solid but unspectacular thus far in his career.

Third round pick Laurent Robinson was on his way to a breakout season with the Rams prior to his season ending prematurely due to injury.

Stephen Nicholas, taken in the fourth round, is in his first year as one of the team’s starting outside linebackers and has emerged as a solid defender for Atlanta.

Sixth rounder Trey Lewis is still a part of the team’s rotation at defensive tackle while seventh round selection Jason Snelling has seen a lot of action in 2009 filling in for the injured Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood.

Grade: B-.  This class did produce four regular starters and two players that see regular action for the team.  It loses points for Anderson being just a serviceable end and for not producing any real stars as of yet.

2006 Draft

This draft was a rather underwhelming one for the Falcons.  They did not have a first round selection and top pick Jimmy Williams taken as the fifth pick in the second round played two years for the Falcons and is no longer in the league.

Only third round selection Jerious Norwood and fifth round pick Quinn Ojinnaka are still with the team and neither of them starts.  Norwood sees regular action as a change-of-pace back behind Michael Turner.

Grade: D-.  Norwood is the only player worth mentioning in this draft class and he keeps the grade from being an F.

2005 Draft

This turned out to be a pretty strong class for the Falcons.  Top pick Roddy White, taken 27th overall, is an emerging star at receiver and is on the verge of his third consecutive 1,000 yard season for the Falcons.

Second rounder Johnathan Babineaux has emerged as a run stuffer in the middle who can collapse the pocket in passing situations.

Chauncey Davis, taken in the fourth, is a solid backup defensive end for Atlanta.

Fifth round pick Michael Boley gave the Falcons four solid seasons as a starting linebacker before signing with the Giants prior to the ’09 season.

Grade: B+. White, Boley, and Babineaux make this grade for the Falcons.  The class loses points for its lack of overall depth and the fact that only two of its players are currently starters for the Falcons.