Jackson State announced that the Falcons were among attendees at their pro day on Friday. The school also released unofficial results of their prospects. Two chief prospects that had promising workouts were linebacker Joseph LeBeau and wide receiver Rico Richardson.

LeBeau played defensive end at Jackson State, but measured in just barely above 6-0 and 219 pounds at January’s Casino Del Sol All-Star game. He led FCS schools with 16 sacks as a junior, and produced 10.5 this past year. Per the school site, he ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.4 second range, with 26 bench reps of 225 pounds, a 35.5-inch vertical jump, and 10-foot-7-inch broad jump.

Richardson is listed at 6-0, 185 pounds by NFL Draft Scout.com and led the school in receiving this year with 56 catches for 1081 yards and 10 touchdowns. His unofficial pro day results include a 4.3-second 40 time, 12 bench reps, 35.5-inch vertical jump, and 10-foot-1-inch broad jump.

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Tim Doherty of the Hattiesburg American reports that the Falcons were among several teams that attended Southern Mississippi’s pro day on Friday.

The prospect drawing the most attention was linebacker Jamie Collins, who lit up last month’s Combine in Indianapolis. Collins opted only to go through positional drills, standing pat on his Combin numbers. Collins measures 6-3, 250 pounds, with only 8 percent body fat. He clocked a 4.64-second 40 time, fourth fastest among all linebackers. His 11-foot-7-inch broad jump and 41.5-inch vertical jump topped the linebacker group. His broad jump was the best of any prospect in Indianapolis and his vertical jump was the second best overall. He also ranked in the top five of his position group with a 7.10-second 3-cone drill and 11.55 60-yard shuttle. Collins is a former high school quarterback that converted to defensive back upon arrival at Southern Miss. He was moved to linebacker during his sophomore year, and he had a breakout senior as a senior with career highs of 92 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 5 pass breakups. His Combine performance has him moving up the boards, as he is listed second on Mike Mayock’s 3-4 outside linebacker rankings on NFL.com. He is projected as a likely second day pick, but his climb up boards could potentially see him get drafted in the latter part of Round One come April.

Per Gil Brandt of NFL.com, tackle Jason Weaver measured at 6-5, 312 pounds. Weaver also attended last month’s combine, made slight improvements on his Combine numbers clocking a 5.33 second 40 (5.44 in Indianapolis), 22-inch vertical jump (up from 21), and 24 bench reps of 225 pounds (up from 23). Weaver started at right tackle opposite current Falcon Lamar Holmes at Southern Miss in 2011. Similar to Holmes, he is a former JUCO transfer that was granted a sixth year of eligibility this past fall due to a knee injury he suffered in 2010. He is projected as a potential late round pick.

I know I should have posted this article over two weeks ago, but other projects distracted me. The Falcons released Dunta Robinson and now have an obvious opening at the cornerback position. The Falcons cut Robinson because of his high price tag and diminishing returns. While Robinson was able to blossom in some areas under Mike Nolan, becoming a highly valuable run defender and blitzer off the edge last year, he continued to struggle in coverage. Robinson just didn’t make enough plays in coverage, which likely means that the Falcons will want a corner with better ball skills to replace him. They have one potentially hitting the open market in Brent Grimes.

The first decision the Falcons have to make is whether or not they will re-sign him. The team is optimistic about Grimes’ return from his torn Achilles suffered on opening day last season. So it doesn’t sound like injury is going to deter them from making an offer. Whether Grimes returns really is going to come down to money. Grimes didn’t get the big contract he was seeking last year, and fresh off an Achilles tear is probably not poised to get one this year. Teams tend to get skittish about guaranteeing money when players wind up injured at the end of two consecutive years.

If the Falcons and Grimes don’t agree on a new deal, then the Falcons will have plenty of other options on the open market. While there aren’t a lot of top-level cornerbacks, there are plenty that are capable starters and role players.

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Over 15 scouts were present at Nebraska’s pro day today, including the Falcons according to Grant Muessel of Huskers Illustrated. Linebacker Will Compton shined per Rich Kaipust of the Omaha World-Herald, clocking a 4.54 second 40 time, 24 bench reps, and a 32-inch vertical jump. Tight end Kyler Reed also impressed with a 4.45 40 time, 41-inch vertical jump, 19 bench reps, and a 10-foot-7-inch broad jump. Running back Rex Burkhead clocked a 40 in the 4.7-range at last month’s Combine, but improved on his numbers by running in the 4.5-range today.

Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com reports that the Falcons have an upcoming workout with TCU defensive end Stansly Maponga, scheduled for this Sunday. Maponga worked out for more than 20 NFL teams today for TCU’s pro day. Per Watkins, he ran a 4.84-second 40-yard dash, benched 225 pounds 30 times, and had a vertical jump of 29.5 inches. Maponga didn’t run at last month’s Combine due to a broken toe, which he is currently in the midst of seeking opinions to determine if it requires surgery. Maponga opted to forgo his senior season at TCU, after a disappointing junior season where he had 26 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. That production came on the heels of a strong sophomore year where he had 55 tackles, 13.5 for loss, and 9 sacks. Maponga is projected as third day (Rounds 4 through 7) draft pick. He measured in at 6-2, 256 pounds at the Combine with 34-inch arms.

Also at the TCU pro day, wideout Skye Dawson put up impressive numbers, clocking a 4.39-second 40 time and a 35.5-inch vertical jump. Dawson caught passes from former TCU quarterback and current Cincinnati Bengal Andy Dalton.

Pro days began in earnest this past Friday, and Chris Steuber of Ourlads.com tweets that the Falcons were among over a dozen teams that each attended the pro days at Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Massachusetts on Monday.

Per Gil Brandt of NFL.com, offensive tackle Terren Jones was the star of the Alabama State pro day. He measured in at nearly 6-8 and 341 pounds with 36-inch arms. He clocked a pair of 40s at 5.59 and 5.50 seconds and had a 24-inch vertical jump and 8-foot-7-inch broad jump. Jones did not lift.

The biggest name of the three pro days belonged to Arkansas-Pine Bluff tackle Terron Armstead. Armstead shine at last month’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, clocking a 4.71 40 time, the fastest ever for an offensive lineman. At 6-5, 306 pounds with 34-inch arms, Armstead has the build of a smooth, athletic left tackle and has moved up boards in recetn weeks. His athleticism was so alarming, that Brandt indicates some teams might work him out at tight end. Armstead only did positional drills at his pro day, standing pat on his Combine numbers. He did 31 bench reps of 225 pounds, jumped 34.5 inches on the vertical leap (also the best among linemen at the Combine), and had 9-feet-7 inches on the broad jump in Indianapolis.

Linebacker Brandon Thurmond also put up impressive workout numbers at Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s pro day. He measured at 6-1, 253 pounds. His fastest 40 time was clocked at 4.74 per Brandt, and had a 32-inch vertical jump, and did 20 bench reps of 225 pounds.

UMass tackle Stephane Milhim was invited to the Combine, where he measured 6-4, 314 pounds with 34.25-inch arms. He clocked a 5.23 second 40, 28.5-inch vertical jump, 8-foot-8-inch broad jump, and 4.87 short shuttle. According to reports he was able to improve on all those numbers.

With much of the details of Joe Flacco’s new record-breaking $120.6 million contract being released on Sunday night, we now have a blueprint for what Matt Ryan’s new deal will look like. The only real question is at what point does Ryan sign on the dotted line.

I wrote earlier that I figured that Ryan would be signed sometime this summer because I did not expect Flacco’s deal to get done so quickly. Kudos to Ozzie Newsome & Co. for speeding up the process. The Ravens have a number of good free agents that they need to re-sign this off-season, and avoiding the monster $20 million franchise tag that Flacco would have incurred should allow them to keep many of them. Now, Flacco’s cap hit in 2013 is reportedly around $6.8 million, essentially freeing up $13 million in cap space.

When the Ryan deal gets done, it’s likely that the Falcons will also reap cap benefits, although I’m not sure as much. Ryan is set to count $12 million against this year’s salary cap, but I would expect the first year cap hit of his new deal to be in the ballpark of Flacco, which probably means somewhere around $5-6 million savings.

The interesting things about Flacco’s deal are the payouts in Year 1 ($30 million), Year 2 ($51 million) and Year 3 ($62 million). The latter two figures exceed that of Drew Brees, although Brees was paid $40 million in the first year of his new deal. $52 million of Flacco’s contract is guaranteed, while the number was reportedly $60 million for Brees. Remember, Brees is represented by Tom Condon, who also represents Matt Ryan. It’s in Condon’s best interest to try and reclaim the biggest contract awarded to a quarterback, although that clearly may not be in the Falcons’ best interest. So likely a middle ground will need to be reached. And that could take time. Which makes me believe that we will see Ryan comes to terms later rather than sooner. It may not last until July at this point, but I’m not optimistic that a deal will get done before March 12, when those cap savings could be very beneficial to the Falcons as they shop for new players.

As of Friday, reports were that the Falcons had yet to engage in serious talks with Ryan.

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The other news that the Falcons made on Friday was the release of three veterans in John Abraham, Dunta Robinson, and Michael Turner. The Turner move was expected, and was a long time coming. I was not convinced the Falcons would dump Dunta, as it leaves a pretty large hole at cornerback. Instead, I expected the Falcons to restructure Dunta’s deal to have him return in 2013 at a more cap-friendly price. Abraham was the surprise move, as it had been hinted at but I don’t think anybody expected the Falcons to actually part ways with him. Abraham was the team’s entire pass rush practically, and the team has already proclaimed that improving there will be an off-season priority. So on Friday, the Falcons essentially took a step back in order to take several steps forward.

I really don’t know what the Falcons “plan’ is going forward. I suspect they will be targeting pass rushers early in the draft, but does it mean that they will also be looking for free agents to sign?

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Is it March already? I just updated the 2013 mock muncher today, but I figured I would offer my own mock draft as well. Here are my projections for the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

1. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
With the Chiefs trading for Alex Smith, it means that they won’t be taking a quarterback with the top pick in the draft. That likely leaves the Chiefs looking to address either their offensive or defensive lines. With Branden Albert being an impending free agent, it’s questionable if he’ll be back in Kansas City next year. Joeckel can potentially slide immediately into that vacant spot across from Eric Winston, continuing what should be a formidable ground attack helmed by Jamaal Charles.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars – DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida
The Jaguars reached on Tyson Alualu a few years back and he has not developed into the player hoped for. Terrance Knighton is also a free agent that may or may not be back. With new head coach Gus Bradley in town, the Jaguars will look to bolster their defensive line. Floyd has the versatility, size, and power to be a dominant player up front, something the Jaguars have lacked since they heydays of Marcus Stroud and John Henderson.

3. Oakland Raiders – QB Geno Smith, West Virginia
It’s been stated by the Raiders organization that Terrelle Pryor and Carson Palmer will compete for the starting job next year. But neither player was acquired by the current regime and thus they aren’t tied to either. Dennis Allen and GM Reggie McKenzie will look to put their stamp on the team by taking Smith to be their future franchise passer.

4. Philadelphia Eagles – DT Star Lotulelei, Utah
Lotulelei’s heart condition may affect his draft stock, but presuming it’s not a big deal, he would be a good addition up front for Philly. They’ve already cut Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson. Lotulelei can come in and be an immediate upgrade to their front and give them some much needed beef on defense.

5. Detroit Lions – OT Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
The team nabbed Riley Reiff as their top pick last year to be the heir apparent to Jeff Backus. But Gosder Cherilus is likely to part as a free agent, which could mean they could move Reiff to the right side and plug Fisher into the left tackle position. Protecting Matt Stafford and beefing up their run game are priorities for the Lions moving forward,and Fisher is a hometown kid that has risen up the boards the past few months.

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You hear the rhetoric often about how the NFL is a passing league. That is certainly true, because there is no denying the correlation between winning games and throwing the football well. But what often gets lost in that statement is the value that running the football has.

No, you can’t win championships by running the football. But you can get out of the basement by running the ball. The Falcons certainly proved this. Their quick turnaround in 2008 is often attributed to Matt Ryan’s presence on the team, but it was really Michael Turner that made the difference that year. I’m not saying Ryan didn’t have a major impact on that team and the stability and leadership he offered at quarterback was extremely important. But the Falcons won most of their football games off the back and thighs of Michael Turner.

I think the Minnesota Vikings also illustrate this. They have had subpar quarterback play in five of the last six seasons (excluding 2009 with Brett Favre). Yet in three out of those five years they have finished .500 or above, and made the playoffs in two of those years, largely due to the stabilizing presence of Adrian Peterson.

In order to compete at the highest level, that is the level that entails winning Super Bowls or coming awfully close, they are going to need Christian Ponder to play a lot better than he currently is. But they are at least not in the cellar. I know Vikings fans are among the more tortured fanbases in the league, so I can’t sit here and pretend that they are groovy with their current state of affairs. But I’m fairly confident that they are much more content being 8-8 every year than being 3-13 every other year.

So if you’re running a team, that is at least something to shoot for. It’s much more likely to keep you employed, and if you’re an owner to keep some butts in the seats. And if you’re not in an immediate position to be hoisting Lombardi Trophies, your initial goal should be to get to a point where you are a playoff contender year in and year out.

And I think where this manifests is in the draft. Teams know that they need a good quarterback to win a championship, and thus get so desperate that they take guys like Ponder a round earlier than they should. And teams wind up drafting any guy rather than the right guy.

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Another episode in which I’m joined by Allen Strk to recap the Atlanta Falcons postseason efforts as well as preview some potential moves the Falcons could make this off-season. Allen and I last spoke at the end of the regular season, and scheduling conflicts prevented us from getting a recap up earlier this month. But we’re back again to go deep into the San Francisco 49ers loss and Seattle Seahawks win, including our thoughts on Michael Turner, Thomas DeCoud, Julio Jones, Stephen Nicholas, Harry Douglas, Richard Sherman, and the offensive line. Both of us give our insights into what are some of the Falcons biggest off-season needs with much of the focus on the defensive line and the secondary. We discuss some potential free agents that could help the team including Cliff Avril, Michael Johnson, Michael Bennett, and even Darrelle Revis. You’ll also hear us discuss the play of Kroy Biermann and the futures of Jonathan Babineaux, Dunta Robinson, and Brent Grimes.

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Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Allen writes for TJRSports.com as well as the Bleacher Report. His twitter handle is: @Allen_Strk.

 

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