theProf Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Expert view on Falcons' draft options at pass-rusherVaughn McClure, ESPN Atlanta Falcons reporter Anything can happen from now until the NFL draft actually begins Thursday night.For the Atlanta Falcons, the focus appears to be on improving the pass rush by any means necessary, although late talk has surfaced about the possibility of trading for Seattle's Bruce Irvin, a pass-rusher Falcons coach Dan Quinn had while the Seahawks' defensive coordinator.There is a possibility the Falcons will trade up from the eighth-overall selection to land the guy many consider the most dominant defensive player in the draft, USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Such a transaction would all depend on how hefty the cost would be.There also might be a need to trade up a few spots if the Falcons desire coveted edge rusher Vic Beasley. The Clemson outside linebacker might not fall to No. 8.Barring a Williams or Irvin trade, securing one of the top edge-rushers would likely be the Falcons' focus, with Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Missouri's Shane Ray, Kentucky's Bud Dupree and Beasley comprising the group. But with the Falcons losing a fifth-round pick next year plus being fined $350,000 after the embarrassment of piping crowd noise into the Georgia Dome, one would think team owner Arthur Blank would discourage drafting a guy such as Gregory, who admitted testing positive for marijuana at the combine, or perhaps even Ray, who was recently cited for marijuana possession. Quinn insisted Ray remains on the Falcons' draft board despite the misstep.We talked to one AFC executive who gave his honest assessment of each of the five aforementioned pass-rushers:Vic Beasley (6-3, 246), Clemson: "Vic is probably the best in terms of speed off the edge with initial speed and quickness off the edge. He's going to win it with speed in this group because he gets off the ball so quickly. He and Ray are about the same size, but Vic just has the most speed. What will be his flaw? Just his size and how he adjust to playing the run in the NFL. That will be it. But he's been really productive."Bud Dupree (6-4, 269), Kentucky: "Of all those guys, he's the biggest. And he can play with his hand down as a defensive end for a 4-3 or he can play standing up as he has. He did it as a junior and they stood him up this past year. So his sack production wasn't as good as it was before because they asked him to do more in terms of coverage standing up. To me, his best ball is ahead of him once he gets locked into one spot. He's 265 pounds so he's got versatility in terms of being an every-down guy. The knock is he doesn't have much production in terms of sack numbers and sack production overall."Shane Ray (6-3, 245), Missouri: "Highest motor of the group. Plays the hardest in terms of pursuit to the football. He's probably the least athletic of the group, but the toughness comes out in his play. When the ball is snapped, this dude goes. I don't know enough about his [toe injury], just from what I'm hearing. He was at workouts and it didn't seem like it was an issue, but now we're hearing that there might be issues. We have to find out what happened with the follow-up from Indy. You've heard all speculation about it but we'll find out more. It's a concern, obviously. And yes, it's hard to trust him in the first round after making that poor decision (marijuana possession) so close to the draft."Randy Gregory (6-5, 235), Nebraska: "Oh man, he has the best length and ability to bend and turn the edge. He's the tallest and all that, but his body in terms of filling out, he has room to grow. His weight has been up and down throughout his career. But to me, he's got the most upside of the group, still. Anytime you know the history of [the marijuana use], and then you go to the combine which is technically their biggest interview of their life and you test positive ... I think it will hurt him. He will go later than he should. He has a test or two at Nebraska that were positive then the combine test. So, yes, that's a concern."Dante Fowler Jr. (6-3, 261), Florida: "He's like a more complete version of Dupree because he's played so many positions. Throwing Fowler in the group, he's the most versatile of the group because he's played so many spots. He's played standing up. He's played defensive end. He played like an outside linebacker. Early in his career, they had him playing some inside, with some packages as the [middle] linebacker. He's probably the best pure football player of the group. He and Bud Dupree both are equal in terms of sack production, but once Fowler gets put in one spot, you'll see who he is." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theProf Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 23m 23 minutes ago Arthur Blank's comments to my mentor @danpompei tell me that Randy Gregory won't be anywhere near Falcons' board. http://ble.ac/1IqgHeP vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 22m 22 minutes ago As for Shane Ray, that's a little more uncertain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quotemokc Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I really hope we don't trade away our first for Irvin.Would leave me quite hollow that we didn't get any of the young new guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulitik Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-Nite-Toker Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Stay away from Randy "Slim Fast" Gregory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu 7 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 23m 23 minutes ago Arthur Blank's comments to my mentor @danpompei tell me that Randy Gregory won't be anywhere near Falcons' board. http://ble.ac/1IqgHeP vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 22m 22 minutes ago As for Shane Ray, that's a little more uncertain. The Falcon Filter lives!I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Filter is not a TD thing and it wasn't a Mike Smith thing.... It's an Arthur Blank thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArthursMoustache Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The Falcon Filter lives!I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Filter is not a TD thing and it wasn't a Mike Smith thing.... It's an Arthur Blank thing...Exactly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley#37 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I really hope we don't trade away our first for Irvin.Would leave me quite hollow that we didn't get any of the young new guysIrvin not worth a first....maybe a third or a fourth/seventh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaptain Krazy Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I really hope we don't trade away our first for Irvin.Would leave me quite hollow that we didn't get any of the young new guysThere should be no need to give Seattle the #8 pick to get Irvin. His contract situation doesn't afford them that kind of leverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon Ben Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The Falcon Filter lives!I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Filter is not a TD thing and it wasn't a Mike Smith thing.... It's an Arthur Blank thing...Was this ever in doubt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis York Morgan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The Filter left when Pioli got here. See Hageman, Shembo, etc last year. See us still being high on Ray, working out guys like Dawson, etc this year. Maybe the guys just don't like Gregory, or maybe it's even a smokescreen and he's our guy. But blaming it on the Filter is silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM12 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The Falcon Filter lives!I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Filter is not a TD thing and it wasn't a Mike Smith thing.... It's an Arthur Blank thing...Do you blame him after the POS vick lying to him?It's good to have a guy to sense check the rest of the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blizzard_falcon Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Ya I'm thinking there's a chance this is a smoke screen for Gregory. Gregory fits exactly what we need on the field. I thought it was telling the last press conference that T&Q didn't really talk about Beasley or Gregory at all. Those 2 could be our super secret targets. Yeah, the fact that they didn't talk about Beasley at all made me think that he's actually our target in the 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu 7 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Was this ever in doubt? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu 7 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Do you blame him after the POS vick lying to him?It's good to have a guy to sense check the rest of the room.It was in place before Vick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theProf Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 23m 23 minutes ago Arthur Blank's comments to my mentor @danpompei tell me that Randy Gregory won't be anywhere near Falcons' board. http://ble.ac/1IqgHeP vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 22m 22 minutes ago As for Shane Ray, that's a little more uncertain. vaughn mcclure @vxmcclure23 · 30m 30 minutes ago Will have another viewpoint on the top pass rushers from an SEC coordinator after lunchtime. He has interesting take on Dupree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Negatorris Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I really hope we don't trade away our first for Irvin.Would leave me quite hollow that we didn't get any of the young new guysThere is a -100% chance that would ever happen. Even the worst GM wouldn't make that move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerSteve Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Stay away from Randy "Slim Fast" GregoryI think it's now pretty safe to say he's long gone from our board, no matter the round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskooler Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Ya I'm thinking there's a chance this is a smoke screen for Gregory. Gregory fits exactly what we need on the field. I thought it was telling the last press conference that T&Q didn't really talk about Beasley or Gregory at all. Those 2 could be our super secret targets.We need a 220 pound pot-smoking depression/anxiety disorder sufferer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRUNKuno Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 BasicallyBeasley is a speed rusher with run support issuesDupree is a project with low sack totalsRay has the highest motor but injuries and weed issueGregory has the most upside but weight and weed concerns. Should go higher. No pun intended.Fowler is a jack of all trades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerSteve Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Ya the filter obviously doesn't work anyway. We still drafted dog fighting Vick and major pot head Jimmy Williams. Let's face it, most of the NFL are scum bags. Might as well base your picks on talent. The Filter isn't about accomplishing anything, it's all about maintaining Blank's squeaky clean corporate image. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookAboutFalcon Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The Falcon Filter lives!I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Filter is not a TD thing and it wasn't a Mike Smith thing.... It's an Arthur Blank thing...Yep, I've said the exact same thing. We will never truly know if this is an effective strategy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM12 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 We need a 220 pound pot-smoking depression/anxiety disorder sufferer?we could get one of those from TATF instead of the 2nd round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM12 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Here's a question for you guys. Would you rather have Dupree at 8 or trade down and somehow manage to get both Cheech and Chong...err I mean Gregory and Ray. I have very little interest in Gregory at all, but would take Bud and Ray.. So I can't answer the question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis York Morgan Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Here's a question for you guys. Would you rather have Dupree at 8 or trade down and somehow manage to get both Cheech and Chong...err I mean Gregory and Ray. Zero doubt in my mind I'd take Gregory and Ray. But doubt they will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.