Falcons Receive Overall Solid Grades for 2022 Draft Class

Getty Drake London poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Falcons at No. 8 overall.

The Atlanta Falcons entered the 2022 NFL Draft with nine total picks to use and endless roster holes to fill. At the end of it all, the team ended up leaving Vegas with eight solid rookies and received many high remarks from various NFL Draft experts for their overall decisions.

Before we dive into grades, here’s a look at their final draft picks:

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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Experts Weigh in on Falcons’ 2022 NFL Draft Class

Below are just a sample of the draft grades that Atlanta received from experts:

Pro Football Focus: A

The Falcons receiving corps badly needed an infusion of talent, and London should provide a nice boost. A lot has been made about his ability to separate because of how much of his production came in contested-catch situations (FBS-high 17 contested catches in 2021). But that’s not all he brings to the table — he can create separation underneath, and he was productive after the catch for the Trojans. His 22 missed tackles forced after the catch last year — in just eight games before injury — is a top-five mark in this class

Bleacher Report: A

The Falcons should be applauded for not forcing a quarterback in the first round. Going into the season with Marcus Mariota isn’t all that exciting, but adding a jumbo receiver in Drake London will make his life easier. London was the top receiver among a talented class on the B/R big board.

USA Today: A-

The most interesting pick may have been Desmond Ridder, who fell to Atlanta as the draft quarterbacks plummeted down the board. Ridder will need time to diagnose NFL defenses, and he’s got some accuracy issues to clean up, but he’s got Good Alex Smith potential. The Falcons had needs everywhere, and did a pretty good job of plugging all those holes.

NFL.com: B+

The combination of London and Kyle Pitts should give a needed boost to the Falcons’ passing game. General manager Terry Fontenot addressed the team’s other major need on Day 2, strengthening a poor pass rush with Ebiketie and Malone, while also landing an athletic second-level defender in Andersen and smartly nabbing a potential future starter in Ridder.

Allgeier’s a solid pick but they could have met other needs with their first Day 3 selection. Shaffer lumbers a bit but can move the line of scrimmage. FitzPatrick wasn’t used enough at Georgia but has the potential to be a fine pass-catcher. Their defensive tackle group could use a strong undrafted free agent addition.

Atlanta’s 2022 roster is going to look a lot different than years prior, that’s because the team has not only moved on from longtime starting quarterback Matt Ryan, but also several other key pieces as they enter rebuild mode. Nonetheless, the team did a solid job honing in on priorities during the draft.

Falcons Draft Impact Players

There were several directions the Falcons could go with their No. 8 overall pick and many thought it would be a new addition to the offensive or defensive line instead, the team turned to one of the draft’s top receivers: Drake London. London is set to be an immediate start and impact alongside Kyle Pitts. In fact, we should see Pitts score more on American soil in 2022 with the addition of London, who will take away a lot of the opposing defense’s attention. The Falcons need a true wide receiver with both Russell Gage and Ridely out of th picture and they got that in London.

From there, the Falcons traded up to grab a potential sack machine in Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, which now gives the team a healthy edge rotation. Then Atlanta selected a triple-threat off the board in linebacker/running back/quarterback Troy Andersen, who may or may not be Deion Jones’s replacement if the team decides to move on from him in a post-June 1 trade.

But the real kicker came when the Falcons took Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder. After 14 seasons of Matt Ryan, Ridder is set to be the future of Atlanta and he says he’s not leaving until he “wins a Super Bowl.” Whether or not he starts in 2022 remains to be seen but he has a real shot at competing for the job against Marcu Mariota.

Remember when I said Atlanta will have a healthy rotation at edge? The team added another big edge defender with their 82nd overall pick in DeAngelo Malone. Malone will likely have to compete for playing time but he brings a lot of speed and great footwork to Atlanta which gives him a very promising future.

The Falcons’ edge rotation isn’t the only position finally coming together. Atlanta’s running back room looks solid with veterans Cordarrelle Patterson, Qadree Ollison, Damien Willson and the addition of rookie back Tyler Allgeier.

And last but not least, after 10 years of not drafting any Georgia Bulldogs, the Falcons finally did. The team took Georgia guard Justin Shaffer and tight end John FitzPatrick. Shaffer should be a step up from Jalen Mayfield at left guard and FitzPatrick brings his blocking skills to Atlanta to fill the void left by Lee Smith.

After drafting some flops in 2021, you can tell that Fontenot really honed in on every pick and every need this year, from finding missing pieces for head coach Arthur Smith to finally run a successful offense to adding some studs that fit Dean Pees’ defense.

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