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Best Twitter Reactions to Falcons Drafting 2 Georgia Bulldogs

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Falcons draft

Getty The Falcons drafted Georgia guard Justin Shaffer in the sixth round.

Before today, the Atlanta Falcons front office had not drafted a player from the University of Georgia since 2011 when they selected linebacker Akeem Dent in the third round (91st overall).

However, the Falcons broke that decade-long drought and closed out their 2022 NFL Draft in style by selecting two former Bulldogs: guard Justin Shaffer at  No. 190 overall and tight end John FitzPatrick with their final pick at No. 213 overall.

Shaffer played five seasons (2017-21) at Georgia where he appeared in 51 games with 27 starts. for the Dawgs. In 2021, the 6-foot-4, 314-pound offensive lineman started all 15 games at left guard for a national championship offense that averaged 190.9 rushing yards a game and earned himself second-team All-SEC honors.

Shaffer is a solid addition to a Falcons’ weak offensive line––especially at left guard––which allowed Matt Ryan to get sacked 40 times last season.

An interesting and fun fact about Shaffer is that he joins his first cousin and former Western Kentucky outside linebacker, DeAngelo Malone, in Atlanta, who was drafted on day 2 by Atlanta.

As for FitzPatrick, he fills the void left by Lee Smith––a former blocking tight end for the Falcons last season.

FitzPatrick will be the new guy that will be expected to open up opportunities for tight end Kyle Pitts when the Falcons run a two-tight end formation.

“A force in the run game,” FitzPatrick said of himself, via AltantaFalcons.com. “If you’re looking to advance your run game, I’m the guy. And I’m going to do it as soon as I step into the building.”

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Falcons Twitter Goes Crazy

Naturally, Atlanta Falcons fans, who waited a long time for this moment, and outsiders had a lot to say about the Falcons’ final two picks.

Okay, your point?

Were the Falcons smart or dumb for waiting “too” long to nab a pair of 2022 national champs?

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It only took 10 years.

As always, Falcons fans are hard to please.

“Oh-em-gee” is right!

Absolutely mindblowing…

How to make Falcons fans happy 101:

UGA also made history by having the most players selected in an NFL draft during the 7th round with 15 to come off the board.

Cheers to no more complaining!

Falcons 2022 NFL Draft Picks

The Falcons had a total of nine draft picks ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, but ended up trading away picks No. 43 and No. 141 to the New York Giants in exchange for an earlier second-round pick in order to snag a stud edge at No. 38:

Round 1 – Pick 8 (8 overall): Southern California wide receiver Drake London

Round 2-Pick 7 (38 overall): Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie

Round 2 – Pick 11 (43 overall): Traded to the New York Giants

Round 2 – Pick 26 (58 overall) from the Tennessee Titans: Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen 

Round 3 – Pick 10 (74 overall): Cincinnati Quarterback Desmond Ridder

Round 3 – Pick 18 (82 overall) from the Indianapolis Colts: Western Kentucky outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone

Round 4 – Pick 9 (114 overall): Traded to the New York Giants

Round 5 – Pick 8 (151 overall): BYU running back Tyler Allgeier

Round 6 – Pick 11 (190 overall): Georgia guard Justin Shaffer

Round 6 – Pick 35 (213 overall): Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick

The Falcons acquired No. 58 overall in the second round of this year’s draft from their Julio Jones trade with the Tennesee Titans last offseason and No. 82 overall in the third after sending longtime quarterback Matt Ryan to Indianapolis in March.

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Kelsey Kramer covered the NFL for Heavy.com from 2020 to 2023, with a focus on the Atlanta Falcons. A Georgia native, her work has been featured at AtoZ Sports, iHeartMedia, ESPN3 and SBR Sportsbook Review. More about Kelsey Kramer

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