Burns
Hall of Famer
Falcons Select 6 players in 2016 NFL Draft (1/2)
Round 1, Pick 17: SS Keanu Neal, Florida
The Falcons went a different direction than most of the fan base wanted them to with this pick, but pick up a solid player in Neal. This guy can put a lick on somebody, and will hopefully be able to set the tone on defense as the Strong Safety of the future. Defensive Coordinator Richard Smith had this to say about Neal:
"I'll tell you what, I've been very impressed with (Neal). He's extremely focused, he's very mature, he's very, very talented. I love his demeanor and his work ethic. He's the first one in the building trying to get more coaching; he wants to be coached so much. I think he's going to be pretty special."
Let's see what NFL Network had to say about the pick.
Deion Jones is expected to be a project for the Atlanta Falcons. This guy has all the physical talent in the world, he just needs to translate that into success on the football field. He only started one season for the LSU Tigers, but was extremely impressive.
The 6-foot-1, 222-pound Jones followed up his splashy senior season by turning heads at the combine, checking in with a swift 4.59-second time in the 40-yard dash. He really left scouts wowed a few weeks later at LSU's Pro Day, wowing with an eye-popping 4.38 seconds in the pre-draft's most popular event, as well as registering a 35.5-inch vertical jump and an impressive 18 repetitions of 225 pounds in the bench press, quickly establishing himself as one of the hottest names in the class as the draft approached.
The Falcons are confident that Jones has the ability to get off blocks and continue to flow to the ball. General manager Thomas Dimitroff repeatedly discussed his ability to “scrape.” Jones will have to compete with the team's returning MLB Paul Worrilow.
Let's see what NFL network had to say about Jones.
The Atlanta Falcons look to add some much needed help in the Red Zone with the 6'4 Hooper.
The Falcons had their share of red zone woes last season, including a slew of turnovers. Though they possess arguably the most dangerous receiving threat in the league in Julio Jones, the Falcons didn’t take full advantage of their red zone opportunities. They could have been even better than their 54.7 percent red zone conversion rate, which ranked 17th in the league.
In steps Hooper, who caught six touchdown passes last season in a Stanford offense dominated by Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey. Three of those touchdowns were in the red zone, and one them was a 42-yard, catch-and-run down the middle at Oregon State.
The Falcons hope Hooper can give Matt Ryan a much needed weapon in the passing game.
Let's hear what NFL Network had to say about Hooper.
Round 4, Pick 115: OLB De'Vondre Campbell, Minnesota
Much like Deion Jones, De'Vondre Campbell comes into Atlanta as a raw athletic talent looking to compete for a spot in the linebacking core. If they're serious about developing players, Campbell could be a steal, but his fit on the defense is still a question with Deion likely locking down the WILL spot at linebacker. Atlanta gets faster on defense despite the questions.
Let's hear what NFL Network thought about the pick.