A number of pro days took place on Wednesday, including some big schools such as Alabama, USC, Texas A&M, Wisconsin. Kentucky and Louisville also held their pro days as well.

The Falcons were definitely at the Wisconsin and Alabama pro days, and likely to be at the USC (although unconfirmed as of yet). Twenty-three teams were counted at Kentucky, 18 at Texas A&M, and 12 at Louisville. Whether the Falcons were in attendance at the latter three has not been confirmed.

For Wisconsin, quarterback Russell Wilson managed to impress with his arm strength in passing drills, completing all but 3 of 65 attempts. Tony Pauline of SI.com reports that observers called guard Kevin Zeitler’s work in positional drills “outstanding” and “beastly.” Zeitler played right guard for the Badgers is projected as a second round pick. A player that emerged at the pro day was wide receiver Derek Carrier, hailing from Division III school Beloit. Carrier mesasured 6’3″ 240pounds, ran a 40 under 4.5, measured a 40-inch vertical, 10-2 broad, and 6.69 3-cone drill. Carrier led the Beloit Buccaneers last year with 75 catches for 1,250 yards and 12 touchdowns. His workout had scouts “scrambling” for more tape per Pauline.

Alabama’s pro day was marred from the fact that top prospects Courtney Upshaw, Trent Richardson, and Mark Barron did not work out. But that did not stop cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick from “wowing” scouts in position drills according to NFL.com’s Gil Brandt. Tight end Brad Smelley also had an impressive workout according to sources. The undersized tight end (6’2″ 237) ran a 4.76 40 time, did 13 bench reps, and recorded a 7.15 3-cone drill.

The big name at Texas A&M’s pro day was quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who sat out due to his injured foot. But in his absence, wide receiver Jeff Fuller improved his draft stock. Fuller weighed in at 225 pounds, ran a 4.65 40, but als had a 36-inch vertical leap and 7.10 3-cone drill. Cornerback Terrence Frederick clocked an impressive 4.47 40 time. Fuller is expected to work out with Tannehill later this month on March 28.

Tomorrow’s pro day schedule will be a busy one which will include Clemson, Colorado, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Alabama, Northwestern, Ohio, Syracuse, Utah State, Washington, Western Kentucky, and Wyoming. All of those schools potentially will feature at least one draftable prospect. The University of Miami’s official site indicates that Falcons eastern regional scout Marvin Allen is expected to attend tomorrow.

Justin Hokanson of Auburn Sports tweets the Falcons were among the teams represented at Auburn’s pro day yesterday.

The biggest name prospect for Auburn was offensive tackle Brandon Mosley, who worked out at last month’s Combine. Mosley only performed in positional drills on Tuesday, standing on his Combine numbers. There, he measured 6’6″ 314 pounds, ran a 5.21 40-yard dash, did 30 bench reps, and his 7.43 3-cone drill was the third best among all offensive linemen in Indianapolis. Long snapper Josh Harris was also invited to the Combine, but the 6’1″ 252-pound player opted to try and improve his Combine numbers, as he was able to put up one more bench rep (16) than he did in Indianapolis by working out. He also had an impressive 11 foot, 5-inch broad jump.

Other non-Combine invitees included safety Neiko Thorpe who blazed with a 4.40 40-yard dash time. The 6’1″ 198-pound converted corner only lifted 225 pounds 4 times, but showed impressive athleticism with an 11’5″ broad jump and 38-inch vertical. Linebacker Eltoro Freeman did 28 bench reps, jumped 11 feet, 5 inches in the broad, and had an unofficial 4.70 40 time.

SI.com’s Tony Pauline reports all 32 teams were represented at UCLA’s pro day on Tuesday as well. Wide receiver Nelson Rosario measured out at 6’5 1/2″, 230 pounds, ran a 4.55 40 into the wind, and leaped 36.5 inches on the vertical, and 10 feet, 1 inch on the broad jump. Safety Tony Dye missed most of last season with an injury, ran a 4.56 40, 4.15 short shuttle, 7.02 3-cone, and leaped 36.5 inches on the vertical jump.

Player agent Mook Williams tweets that the Falcons were among a handful of teams present at the University of Buffalo’s pro day on Tuesday. The biggest name prospect was wide receiver Marcus Rivers. Rivers, who measures 6’3″ 218 pounds with 34-inch arms, performed a broad jump of 10’4″, a vertical leap of 36 inches, and did 6 bench reps of 225 pounds. No official word on what Rivers ran in the 40 yard dash, although he did time 4.61 a year ago at Buffalo’s pro day. Rivers is considered a potential late round prospect.

Mike Smith stands with Bears head coach Lovie Smith

Georgia Tech’s Asst. Director of Media Relations Dean Buchan tweeted a photo indicating that Falcons head coach Mike Smith was on hand to view the pro days of the school’s prospects earlier today. As reported by the AJC yesterday, Smith was also on hand to see the University of Georgia’s prospects. As mentioned this past Friday, the Falcons have consistently sent some of their top representatives to the pro days of the two biggest local schools over the years, and apparently the tradition continues.

The biggest name among Georgia Tech’s prospect is wide receiver Stephen Hill, who was one of the players that emerged during last month’s Combine in Indianapolis after he clocked the second-fastest 40 time at 4.36 seconds officially.

Yesterday at Georgia, the Falcons could have been checking out tight end Orson Charles. Charles did not run a 40-yard dash at the Combine last month, instead waiting for yesterday’s pro day. He did not light it up, running a mediocre 4.75 time.

Other notable pro days today include that of Illinois and Arkansas. There has been no official confirmation that the Falcons sent representatives to either, but it is likely since there are reports that 29 teams showed up in Champaign to see Illini prospects work out, and 27 teams were represented at Arkansas pro day.

For Illinois, the biggest name is likely first round defensive end Whitney Mercilus, who led the nation in sacks this past year. Non-Combine participants who hope to improve their draft stock include defensive back Tavon Wilson and running back Jason Ford. At Arkansas, they have a trio of wide receivers in Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, and Greg Childs that headline their prospects. Defensive end Jake Bequette and linebacker Jerry Franklin are also prominent names. Franklin was not invited to the Combine.

Atlanta is weakest at offensive tackle

Yesterday, I posted this in the forums, where I have been periodically going through the needs of all 32 teams. But I had gotten to the point where the Falcons were the next team on the slate, and given that we are approaching free agency, it was a good time to post them for the world to see.

The ratings for the team needs is a system that I developed many moons ago when I was writing for The Huddle Report, and have developed over several years. The level of need is not necessarily based off my own opinions, but my attempt to get inside the heads of the powers that be with each respective team, and in this case the Falcons and Thomas Dimitroff. They mostly apply towards but also factor in free agency as well. After the jump you can find the ratings key as well as a position-by-position breakdown.

TOP 10 NEEDS

1. OT – 4.0
2. DE – 3.5
3. TE – 3.0
4. OG – 3.0
5. RB – 2.5
6. CB – 2.0
7. WR – 2.0
8. DT – 2.0
9. QB – 1.5
10. LB – 1.5

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Mizzou TE Michael Egnew

The Falcons were confirmed to be in attendance for two of the three pro days that kicked off on Thursday, and likely were at the third. The Falcons definitely sent represents to Missouri on Thursday and Cincinnati on Friday for their pro days, with Miami of Ohio being the third, held on Thursday as well.

The Falcons likely had a close eye on tight end Michael Egnew on Thursday as they were among 16 teams in attendance according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Egnew, who worked out this past Saturday at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis did not bench press or run the 40 at Missouri’s pro day. In Indianapolis, he clocked a 4.62 official 40 time, and did 21 bench reps of 225 pounds. But he did do positional drill and improved upon some of his numbers from the Combine, adding 4 inches to his broad by leaping 11 feet, 3 inches. He also added an inch and half with a 37.5-inch vertical. Egnew was nursing a sore hamstring on Thurday, but may re-run his 40 at Missouri’s second pro day slated for March 15 according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. The Falcons have drafted two Missouri products in the past three years: Sean Weatherspoon and William Moore.

Also on Thursday, Miami of Ohio guard Brandon Brooks created a lot of buzz. According to SI.com’s Tony Pauline over two dozen teams were represented at the pro day, which likely included the Falcons, although that is unconfirmed.

Brooks, who was not invited to the Combine last weekend, measured in at 6-5, 346 pounds, and clocked a 40 time of 4.98, while recording a 32-inch vertical jump and did 36 bench reps of 225 pounds. He was noted by Pauline to look fluid in positional drills. Brooks potentially could be one of the highest picks of those players not invited to Indianapolis, and with his strong pro day performance could bump him into being a solid Day Two draft pick.

Earlier today, the Falcons were among 28 teams spotted at Cincinnati’s pro day per Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bearcats’ top pro prospect is running back Isaiah Pead. Pead, along with defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, were both invited to the Combine and only participated in positional drills today.

Pead measured in at 5-10, 197 pounds at the Combine and impressed with a 4.47 40 and 6.95 3-cone drill, both among the top five for his position group. Wolfe was a burly 6-5, 295 pounds at the Combine and did 33 bench reps, and showed impressive athleticism with a 5.01 40-yard dash and 33.5-inch vertical.

On Friday per Pauline, wide receiver D.J. Woods tested well, measuring in at 6-feet, 180 pounds and ran a 4.42 40 with a 37-inch vertical leap. Undersized quarterback Zach Collaros measured at just 6 feet tall, but displayed a strong arm per Pauline. His speed (4.70) and strength (22 bench reps) could potentially have him moving to a new position.

Next week’s bigger pro days include Georgia (Monday) and Georgia Tech (Tuesday), two local pro days which the Falcons have consistently had strong presences at. On Wednesday, Texas A&M, Alabama, and USC will hold their pro days. Thursday’s slate will feature Clemson and Miami (FL). On Friday, Ohio State and Oklahoma State are likely to draw the most eyes.

TE Orson Charles

I’m listing some players that I think depending on their Combine performances over the next few days will start to pick up more steam as potentially draft picks for the Falcons, as well as guys that could be in a position to rise up other teams’ draft boards in general.

RB Robert Turbin, Utah State
Like many underclassman, Turbin has generally gone under the radar so far. It is generally the Combine where some of these lesser known players can rise. While it doesn’t seem like the running back position is going to be a high priority for the Falcons this April, it would behoove them to start thinking about the future of this position. Turbin is an excellent physical specimen, with a short, squat, but think build similar to Michael Turner. He probably is not going to have a blazing 40 time, but if he can run in the low 4.5s, he’s a player that can start to solidify his status as a potential Top 50 pick.

WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech
The local product is trying to follow in the steps of Demaryius Thomas as one of the premier second tier wide receiver prospects. Hill has excellent size and athleticism at 6’4″, and like Thomas he’s more a long strider. That can bode very well when it comes to the 40-yard dash. Again, the Falcons probably won’t be looking to make a major move at the wide receiver position given they just drafted Julio Jones, but Hill has the potential to solidify his status as a second round pick with a strong workout.

TE Orson Charles, Georgia
Because Charles is a junior, he’s not going as much love. But Charles can do something similar to Ben Watson did several years ago, which is if he has a strong workout, he can start to rise up boards. Watson ultimately wound up being a late first round pick. Who the top tight end off the board is ripe for the taking, and strong combines helped Watson and Dustin Keller a few years later improve their draft stock greatly. While a strong Combine could probably mean Charles will be drafted before the Falcons are on the clock, his moving up the board could have several implications on which tight end might be in the Falcons range.

TE DeAngelo Peterson, LSU
Peterson is another good athletic SEC tight end, that was a bit underused in LSU’s offense this past year. If he has a good Combine workout, much of that lack of production can be forgiven in scout’s eyes. And while he’s more of a middle round pick at this point, he could start to rise and be in the mix in the second round range, where many suspect the Falcons could target a tight end.

TE Ladarius Green, UL-Lafayette
Green is another tight end that could start to see his stock rise with a good Combine. And coupled with these other players near the top of the class, could turn what was previously conceived as a mediocre draft class at this position into a strong one. Green is the physical specimen of the group, standing 6’6″ and playing more like an oversized receiver. If he can couple that size and athleticism with a good 40 time, he might be in the conversation as well for the Falcons top pick.

OT Bobby Massie, Ole Miss
Massie followed Michael Oher at Ole Miss and despite not receiving the same acclaim, is probably as good an athlete as his predecessor. Massie spent his entire career at right tackle, but certainly possesses the sort of athleticism that teams look for and want in their left tackles. A strong Combine workout that displays that athleticism could solidify him as one of the Top 5 tackles in this draft class.

DE Chandler Jones

OT Matt McCants, UAB
McCants played at the Senior Bowl, and did not use that opportunity to really solidify his draft stock going up against some of the top pass rushers on the South team. But he’ll get another chance at the Combine. As mentioned previously, teams fall in love with athletic tackles, and McCants has that potential with his size (6’6″) and long arms, he every bit looks the part of a top NFL left tackle. He’ll need a strong Combine, and he might start to move up to the late second round as a potential target for the Falcons.

DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse
There’s no doubt the Falcons need to upgrade their pass rush, and Jones is another underclassman that has gone a bit under the radar. While he’s already being projected to go in the second round range, a strong Combine workout where his size and athleticism will be on display could really cause his stock to rise, and he may be the favored target of Falcons draftniks when projecting which pass rusher hopefully is there for the team in Round Two.

OLB Terrell Manning, N.C. State
Another position that the Falcons aren’t really in the market for, but Manning definitely has a chance to improve his stock greatly. As an underclassman that surprisingly came out, he’s gone under the radar. But Manning has the sort of speed and athleticism that reminds you a lot of a younger version of Sean Weatherspoon before he polished his game completely during his final years at Missouri. If Manning can clock a strong 40 time, his stock should jump high.

OLB Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy
He might be a bit more on the Falcons radar because he’s a pass rusher that played end in college. But he’s being projected as a 3-4 linebacker because of his lack of ideal size. But if Massaquoi comes to Indianapolis and tips the scales around 260 and still is able to showcase his athleticism and speed, he might start to gain more traction as a defensive end. Troy has produced a number of good pass rushers over the years (e.g. Osi Umenyiora, Demarcus Ware), and Massaquoi intends to be the next in line.

ILB Mychael Kendricks, California
Drafting an inside linebacker is hopefully not in the cards for the Falcons given this team’s potential to re-sign Curtis Lofton. But if that were not to occur and the Falcons were looking for an eventual replacement, Kendricks might be a guy that comes on their radar. He’s not the biggest guy out there, being listed at around 5’11″ 240, but he’s got excellent straight-line speed and was an adept pass rusher in Cal’s 3-4 scheme. If he clocks a fast 40, he should see his stock rise.

This is my second mock draft, to follow up my last one. Before I took a look at the Top 46 picks, going all the way to the Falcons pick in Round 2. I will do the same here, but instead I’ll go all the way to the end of the second round. An asterisk (*) denotes an underclassman. Note that picks 8 and 9, along with 11 and 12 have yet to be determined due to a coin flip.

FIRST ROUND

1. Indianapolis Colts – QB Andrew Luck, Stanford*
While you’ll hear some discussion and debate on whether Griffin is the better prospect, the reality is going to come down to the fact that Luck still has him beat. People will talk up Griffin’s athleticism and arm strength, but forgotten is that Luck grades very well in both as well. People constantly compare Luck to Peyton Manning, but his playing style much more mirrors that of Aaron Rodgers in terms of his ability to move around the pocket and make plays with his legs when need be. At the end of the day, Luck is going to be the No. 1 pick.

TRADE!
2. Miami Dolphins (from St. Louis) – QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor*
Ultimately, I think somebody will swap picks with the Rams to move up to get Griffin. While Luck is better, Griffin is a very good prospect that I personally think is at this point a better prospect than Cam Newton was a year ago. Griffin still needs some polish, but he does have a lot of upside based off how much improvement you’ve seen him make over the last year and his collegiate career. I think the Dolphins among the Redskins, Browns, and Seahawks are probably the most likely to bite on Griffin because those other three teams have decent stopgaps already in place, but Miami does not. While the Dolphins will probably sniff around Matt Flynn, I think they’ll ultimately favor going with Griffin. Trade Terms: Rams get Miami’s 1st (#9), 2nd, 4th in 2012, and their 2nd in 2013.

3. Minnesota Vikings – OT Matt Kalil, Southern California*
It would not surprise me if Iowa’s Riley Reiff moves past Kalil on many boards. But at this point, I’ll go with Kalil here. The Vikings need a left tackle after dumping Bryant McKinnie, and Charlie Johnson was no less atrocious for the Vikings as he was for the Colts. If/when Steve Hutchinson moves on, they can slide Johnson into his more natural left guard spot, plug Kalil in at left tackle and they should be able have a solid left side.

4. Cleveland Browns – WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State*
The Browns will be an interesting team to watch since they could easily jump into the Robert Griffin sweepstakes, but probably won’t be willing to offer the Rams quite as much as other teams since they won’t have to move up as high. They also have a decent young QB in Colt McCoy, so they probably could with two first round picks concentrate more on surrounding him with talent than starting fresh with a new QB. They need a No. 1 receiver, and while it might be smarter to try to find a veteran free agent, it’ll be hard to pass up on a good receiver like Blackmon here. Blackmon is not an elite WR prospect like A.J. Green or Julio Jones, but he’s a good one that should be a good fit in their version of the West Coast offense.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – CB Morris Claiborne, LSU*
Claiborne is not quite on par with former teammate Patrick Peterson as an NFL prospect, but he is not a far cry from him. Claiborne has excellent combination of size, speed, and his ball skills are second to none. New Bucs head coach Greg Schiano knows the value of a good cover corner, having coached the McCourty Bros. at Rutgers. The off-field issues of Aqib Talib, potential retirement of Ronde Barber, and the utter lack of solid depth at this position makes a player like Claiborne a smart pickup.

6. Washington Redskins – QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
The reason why there is not much buzz on Tannehill right now is because a foot injury kept him out of the Senior Bowl. But when all is said and done you can bet that Tannehill will be a Top 10 pick. His game combines arm strength and athleticism similar to Aaron Rodgers, and while he’s still young and raw, his upside is very good given how solid he’s been despite only playing a year and a half as Texas A&M’s starting QB. His presence will be one of the reasons why a team like Washington won’t go too crazy trying to move up to get Griffin.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars – OT Riley Reiff, Iowa*
New head coach Mike Mularkey is going to have to find a way to keep Blaine Gabbert upright, as the young quarterback’s pocket presence is some of the worst I’ve ever seen. Improving the protection is a key, and plugging in Reiff on the right side makes sense. Eben Britton has struggled due to injuries, and Reiff briefly played some right tackle as a sophomore where he went up against the likes of Derrick Morgan, and contained him. If the Jaguars want to continue to work MJD as their primary weapon on offense, they have to get better up front.

8. St. Louis Rams (coin flip/from Miami) – RB Trent Richardson, Alabama*
The Rams certainly are happy to move down, picking up some extra picks and plugging multiple holes. Moving down, they will likely target offensive line help, but also with Richardson sitting here, it’s too good to pass up. The team needs to find the heir apparent to Steven Jackson, and Richardson is the perfect fit. His combination of speed and power, along with his potential in the passing game make him the most complete running back prospect in the draft since Adrian Peterson.

9. Carolina Panthers (coin flip) – DT Michael Brockers, LSU*
Brockers is a high-upside guy who was only a sophomore at LSU, but showed good potential. The Panthers run defense was atrocious this past year and rookies Terrell McClain and Sione Fua did little to suggest they are going to be big-time pieces going forward. Brockers was a stand-out run stuffer at LSU, manhandling guards in the SEC. He also flashes potential as a pass rusher, although he’s raw there. But he has the sort of talent to be a force in the middle that the Panthers haven’t seen since the heyday of Kris Jenkins.

10. Buffalo Bills – DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina
The Bills need to solidify their defense and try to find ways to stop teams. Coples is a good prospect to try and help them do that. A big, athletic specimen that flashes the ability to be on par with guys like Julius Peppers and Mario Williams, that also hailed from his neck of the woods. Coples, alongside a healthy Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus could give Buffalo one of the most formidable fronts in the entire league if he can be developed. He’s a boom/bust prospect, but there’s no doubt someone is going to gamble on his potential high in the draft.

Read more…

As has been the case in past years, we’ll be looking at which players have reportedly talked to the Atlanta Falcons during the week of practices for the Senior Bowl, a collegiate all-star game that will be played on Saturday, January 28, 2012.

Sources for this information, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Twitter.

• CB Brandon Boykin, Georgia
• TE Ladarius Green, Louisiana-Lafayette
• WR Brian Quick, Appalachian State

As more information becomes available, we’ll continue to update this list.

Andrew Luck

I spent my bye week trying to catch up on as much college football as I could to prep for this mock draft. It’s the first 46 picks, because at this point, the Falcons first pick will be the 46th overall due to their trading their top pick to Cleveland. So here is my mid-October projection of what next year’s draft could look like through the first round and a half.

1. Indianapolis Colts – QB Andrew Luck, Stanford*
Whether Peyton Manning returns healthy to the Colts next year or not, the Colts will be smart to grab Luck, a player that many consider the best QB prospect since Manning came out in 1998.

2. Miami Dolphins – QB Matt Barkley, USC*
Barkley is not in the same class as Luck, but he’s a pretty good QB prospect that can make up for the Dolphins previous mistake of passing on Matt Ryan.

3. Arizona Cardinals – OT Matt Kalil, USC*
The Cardinals need to solidify their offensive line, starting with their left tackle spot. Kalil is a quality prospect that should allow them to move Levi Brown back to his more natural right tackle spot, killing two birds with one stone.

4. St. Louis Rams – OT Riley Reiff, Iowa*
Jason Smith has struggled at right tackle, and Rodger Saffold has not held up at left tackle. They need to add a blocker that can help out and fix one of those issues.

5. Carolina Panthers – DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina*
Charles Johnson is a solid pass rusher, but they need to find someone to play opposite him. Coples is a premier talent, arguably one of the best since Julius Peppers to come out of Chapel Hill.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars – WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State*
The Jaguars need a No. 1 target for Blaine Gabbert to throw to, and Blackmon has comparable skillset to Terrell Owens.

7. Minnesota Vikings – OT Jonathan Martin, Stanford*
The Vikings need a left tackle to replace Bryant McKinnie since Charlie Johnson was never going to cut it.

8. Seattle Seahawks – QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
Tannehill is low on experience, but high on potential and is the quality passer that Pete Carroll has been waiting for.

9. Denver Broncos – RB Trent Richardson, Alabama*
Richardson offers Adrian Peterson-like potential to stabilize the Broncos ground game while Tim Tebow is under center.

10. Washington Redskins – QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma*
Jones is not quite Sam Bradford, but a good QB prospect that Mike Shanahan can grow and develop in his version of the West Coast Offense.

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