Falcons rookie tackle Kaleb McGary brings a desire to dominate his foes

[birdz4i]

Tuesday, May 07, 2019 03:25 PM

 

Will McFadden

ATLANTAFALCONS.COM

 

 

The Atlanta Falcons doubled down with their attempt to improve along the offensive line by trading back into the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and selecting former Washington tackle Kaleb McGary.

 

McGary joined guard Chris Lindstrom as the Falcons’ two first-round picks, an indicator of just how seriously the team took their issues up front the past two seasons. The 6-foot-7, 317-pound McGary has plenty of size and athleticism at the position and should battle for a starting position this preseason.

Whether or not McGary snags a starting job heading into his rookie year will likely depend upon how smoothly his athletic traits translate to the NFL.

In the short term, McGary should be an asset as a run blocker. While at Washington, McGary’s size and strength allowed him to blow up defenders, and his athleticism helped him secure blocks at the second level. The play below demonstrates McGary’s prowess as a run blocker, as he pancakes a defender as part of a double team before sealing off a second-level defender.

 

 

The result of McGary’s work is a clear path to the outside for running back Myles Gaskin. The Falcons, who utilize a variety of outside-zone runs, have need of players capable of sealing off outside running lanes.

Atlanta also deploys plenty of inside-zone runs, where down blocks that root defenders out of gaps will be necessary. This type of blocking is perhaps what McGary does best.

 

 

As a pass protector McGary has more athleticism than one might initially think. There are times when McGary’s shoulders get turned towards the sidelines, indicating that he has was beaten on the play. But as Erik Turner explains in a deep-dive on McGary’s technique for the website Cover 1, the Washington tackle may have been influenced heavily by the teachings of Howard Mudd.

Mudd, a former NFL offensive lineman and line coach, teaches an aggressive sort of pass protection rather than a mirror-and-catch style. That plays to McGary’s strengths, which are good hand technique and a strong base, while minimizing his lack of elite lateral quickness. This style has helped McGary maintain his tenacious nature even while pass blocking.

 

 

There are still going to be some learning curves for McGary at the NFL level, just like there are for any player coming out of college. He will likely struggle against outside speed rushers in the NFL, but he has the toughness and desire to dominate his opponent that that Falcons were looking for in this draft.

He’s a smart player who knows how to diagnose plays well while they are unfolding, which is a very important and underrated skill for a lineman. Most importantly, however, he is just a mean dude once the ball is snapped, which is something that Falcons fans should enjoy.

 

 

It remains to be seen if McGary can in fact beat out Ty Sambrailo and slide into a starting role this summer, and the Falcons could have two rookies starting next to each other if that occurs. But the more film one watches on McGary, the more it becomes clear what the Falcons see in him. He’s tough, smart, and physically imposing. Those are three really strong qualities for an NFL offensive lineman to start with.

 

 

https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/falcons-rookie-tackle-kaleb-mcgary-brings-a-desire-to-dominate-his-foes

[GATXBOI]

A real dawg right there in Big Country

[PokerSteve]

I like the mean in McGary. I really think our OL needs a whole lot more of that trait. Will be interesting to see how fast he gets into the line-up as the starter, because no doubt that's what he's going to be.

[Francis York Morgan]

Give this dude D-Led's job.

[vel]

I'm telling yall, I think McGary hits the ground running as a rookie. It won't be pretty versus the top tier guys (I mean, who's shutting those guys down anyway?), but for the vast majority of the edge guys he'll see, he's got the ability to win. Especially if they keep a consistent rushing attack. That's the key to all of this. If the defense has to defend and respect the run game, they can't just tee off on the OL and get after Matt. That's advantage to the OL. 

[birdz4i]

38 minutes ago, vel said:

I'm telling yall, I think McGary hits the ground running as a rookie. It won't be pretty versus the top tier guys (I mean, who's shutting those guys down anyway?), but for the vast majority of the edge guys he'll see, he's got the ability to win. Especially if they keep a consistent rushing attack. That's the key to all of this. If the defense has to defend and respect the run game, they can't just tee off on the OL and get after Matt. That's advantage to the OL. 

 

yep. if we do end up with 2 rookie starters, there will definitely have to be a renewed commitment to running the ball to help them out.

[slick0ne]

15 hours ago, birdz4i said:

 

yep. if we do end up with 2 rookie starters, there will definitely have to be a renewed commitment to running the ball to help them out.

I believe that is the plan, brother. If they invest this heavily in the OL just the drop back and chunk it 40 times a game I'm going to be ticked.

[JeffAtl]

16 hours ago, PokerSteve said:

I like the mean in McGary. I really think our OL needs a whole lot more of that trait. Will be interesting to see how fast he gets into the line-up as the starter, because no doubt that's what he's going to be.

James Carpenter will also help a lot in this area.  Time will tell, but so far it seems like TD has knocked it out of the park in regards to building a top-tier offensive line.

[PokerSteve]

33 minutes ago, JeffAtl said:

James Carpenter will also help a lot in this area.  Time will tell, but so far it seems like TD has knocked it out of the park in regards to building a top-tier offensive line.

Definitely agree and said so as soon as TD signed him. Just the kind of players we need to turn this OL into a dominant unit.