Atlanta Falcons: Which rookie will make an impact in 2009?

The Falcons had some pre draft issues that were outlined in the general team synopsis. In this installment I aim to explore which rookies I think will have an impact on the team, and those who will fall into the cracks. On average, only 40% of a team’s draft class ends up contributing or even on an active roster within 3 years. I just wish to get ahead of the curve and explore who those contributors will be going into the 2009 season. I will highlight players that I think will make a contribution in 2009, or need to, for the team to have another successful season.

This is a fun exercise as it asks fans to examine the draft in real world terms. Every player just drafted will not make an impact on the team this upcoming season, no matter the hopes and dreams of fans and front office personnel alike.

Possible Contributors:

Peria Jerry

Now, to many saying that Jerry will have an impact on the 2009 season is like saying the sun will rise in the morning. It is true that most first round picks make an impact on their teams, some good, and some bad. The Falcons came into the draft needing to add to the defensive tackle position as most on the roster could be best described as journeymen or wave players. Mike Smith will be counting on Jerry to come in and provide the one gap penetrator his defense needs to be successful.

Only Jonathan Babineaux made any real contribution in 2008 amongst the other defensive tackles; registering 39 tackles and 4 sacks. Jerry will likely be starting in week 1 this season and whilst his style does fit the mold for the defensive scheme, it may not be smooth sailing for the Falcons number 1 pick.

Despite being an aggressive, effort player, Jerry needs to gain strength if he is to succeed on the next level. If Jerry defeats his man’s block off the snap, then he is apt to make an impact. However, if his initial surge is stymied by his opponent, the former Ole Miss star has trouble maintaining his leg drive and leverage. Jerry does not always do a good job of holding his ground against the run, being driven back off the ball by powerful interior players. Jerry does use his hands a great deal as he tries to win matchups through his technique and initial surge. If he can win early in the play and prevent his opponent from gaining a foothold on his pads he can make plays in the run game as he can attack gaps along the front. Jerry is most effective when he can attack the gaps and maintain his forward momentum. But, if Jerry has his initial surge stymied, or allows his opponent to get into his pads, he can be controlled. When he is asked to defend the run, he must gain penetration, if not he can be uprooted and manipulated.

Jerry’s difficulties against the run may be amplified given the division the Falcons play in, as the rookie will face the productive ground attacks of the Bucs and Panthers twice a year. Jerry has good deal of pride, and will not take his rookie lumps easily in my opinion. He will need to work on his ability to anchor better against the run if he is to maximize his potential, but he will still create matchup problems for opponents in 2009.

Jerry is very adept at attacking gaps along the offensive front and does a good job of getting into and squeezing through the gaps to make plays in the back field. If he faces marginal athletes at guard or center, the advantage is clearly his. Jerry does a good job of leading with his hands; making first contact a great deal of the time. His quick hands allow him to slap his opponent’s hands off, whilst his quickness allows him to take advantage of the space he has created. A classic one gap penetrator, Jerry should thrive in Mike Smith’s scheme provided he becomes stronger in his lower body. He will be given every chance to succeed in Atlanta this season and he will need to given the depth at linebacker behind him.

Christopher Owens

The Falcons need one of their two rookies to make an impact in 2009 if the team wishes to contend for the NFC South title. The Falcons really only have Chris Houston and Chevis Jackson as quality players at the position and very little outside of that. Neither Von Hutchins nor Brent Grimes would be considered starter material on most good football teams in my opinion. Hutchins missed time in 2008 as he landed on IR due to a foot injury. The falcons chose two corners on draft day and absolutely need one to come in and play a good quantity of snaps. Owens is experienced and savvy enough to come in and play right away; something the Falcons desperately need.

I think Christopher Owens will make an impact as I believe he fits what the Falcons want to do on defense very well. Mike Smith has said that he wants the defense to be more aggressive in forcing turnovers, and just their general style of play. Owens embodies both of those traits in his style of play as he is a physical corner who likes to attack wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, and will look for the interception. The former San Jose State star is very good at playing the passing lanes and getting his hands on the football. Owens displayed an ability to stay close to his man and disrupt the timing of short to intermediate routes in college. However, he does lack a great deal of straight line speed, and is quicker than he is fast.

Owens is smooth transitioning from a backpedal to a full out sprint but is a little stiff through his hips. His lack of ideal flexibility can lead to his man gaining separation at certain times, but he can recover to make a play on most occasions. Owens has adequate burst, but again is quicker than he is fast and may struggle to make up long distances in coverage. Whilst he is physical at the line of scrimmage, Owens does have issues showing the same intensity when asked to make tackles in the open field. He is willing to stick his head in, but does not always wrap up the way he should. He does not shy away from the contact on a regular basis, but nor does he always bring his man down on immediately.

Owens overcame his lack of ideal speed in college, managing to stay in the hip pocket of the receiver. In the pros, he may struggle to handle the speed of the wide outs if he is asked to matchup man to man. But, with the Falcons employing a great deal of zone coverage, his aggressive nature could prove to be natural fit for the scheme. The former San Jose State star is best when he can play the short to intermediate areas of the field, attacking the ball coming forward. He has the experience to hold his own in coverage, but if he is left alone for long stretches, he can struggle to mirror the breaks of his man. Once he gets his hands on the ball, Owens does come down with the interception; having 13 of them during his college career. If he can continue that trend, he may have found a home in the secondary.

Lawrence Sidbury

Sidbury is a very intelligent player, who hustles to make plays. In college he designed a computer program that charted the tendencies of opposing offenses. His own coaches began using the program; a testament to the program, and the man who designed it. He is not fooled a great deal, but can be caught coming up the field too hard at times. Sidbury is in no way ready to be a full time player for the Falcons in 2009, but that does not mean he does not have talent to make an impact. The best way for Sidbury to make an impact is as a situational pass rusher at this stage of his development.

Sidbury is a high cut player; a physical trait that I believe impedes his ability to truly explode out of his stance and drive up the field. I do not mean to imply that Sidbury is not fast, he is, but he needs time to uncoil his long legs in order to reach his top speed. He also has a tendency to come off the ball high, which I again attribute somewhat to his body type. His need to uncoil his long limbs may make him play a little high in my opinion and prevent him from truly driving up the field.

With that being said, Sidbury does have the ability to threaten the outside shoulder of many an offensive tackle in the NFL. His length should allow him to match up with most opponents, although he will need to become stronger in his lower body if he is to become an every down player. Sidbury is flexible and agile, but again his long legs can impede him from making certain movements as quickly as you may expect. Regardless, he is athletic enough to play in the NFL. The former Richmond Spider must work on using his length more effectively by locking out to a greater degree. Sidbury could also use to work on a better redirect back to the inside after his initial outside move is handled. I do not believe the coaching staff will ask Sidbury to be an every down player early in his career, but he should take the place of Jamaal Anderson on third downs.

Sidbury is very bright and does hustle after the football. He may not have better than average strength, but he can play with a great deal of leverage when he does use his natural length in his favor. He may be a bit one dimensional at this stage of his career, but he is by no means a simple push over in the run game. Sidbury’s demeanor and history make me believe that he will work hard to correct his faults, and adapt his game to the pro level. I think Sidbury has the raw tools to make an impact on the next level provided he becomes more refined. He should make the transition due to his hustle and intelligence, which he does show on a regular basis.

Spencer Adkins

Adkins may end up being more of a special teams player, as he probably does not have enough moxy to threaten Corey Wire at outside linebacker. He does not always show great instincts to locate the ball, but he is aggressive. The former Hurricane has a tendency to get caught in the wash and can struggle to disengage from his man only compounding his problems.

Despite these faults, he does have solid straight line speed, and if he can play where he does not have to make a great deal of reads he could prosper. He may only impact special teams – which is probably equivalent to getting an honorary mention in the end.

Possible Disappointments:

William Moore

Moore could in many ways be described as a Jekyll and Hyde type player. His junior season was phenomenal, prompting many to believe he was a top 15 pick in 2009. Injuries and a drop in his level of play soon quelled all the first round talk however. Moore did struggle in 2008, but some of that may be due to the injuries he sustained. However, simply blaming injuries for his struggles in 2008 may be glossing over some areas of concern regarding the former Missouri Tiger.

Moore likes to go for the big hit, and is not always a sure tackler. More often than not he will lead with his shoulder; failing to wrap up on a consistent basis. Subsequently, Moore can allow the ball carrier to stay on his feet and gain extra yardage. This tackling style may have worked in college, but there are far too many players in the NFL that can run through contact for Moore to continue in this manner.

Moore’s lack of ideal tackling technique continues, as he will go low on his man rather than staying up and driving his helmet into his opponent’s chest. Again, the NFL features players that do not go down from shoe string tackles often. Moore may prove to be a classic example of a player that can get away with shoddy tackling due to his size and speed in college, but will struggle to transition to the pros. The Falcons scheme, from what I have seen relies on the safety position to make a great many plays in the middle of the field. A safety that does not always stay high, or wrap up with his tackles may not be the best fit. If Moore adjusts some of these traits, he could very easily be a productive player. But, given the lack of great talent amongst the secondary as a whole, the play of the safety position will be key.

Moore can also struggle to handle play action fakes and double moves as he looks to make the big play a great deal. His aggressiveness can also be his downfall in these situations. The former Missouri star does have a knack for getting his hands on many footballs, but it can be a double edged sword. He likes to sit back and watch the quarterbacks eyes; a trait good quarterbacks will use against him, but it will also lead him to the football.

I think Moore could be a good player if he improves his fundamentals and stops trying to make the big play, as opposed to letting the game come to him. He will in all likelihood get his chances to make plays for the Falcons in 2009, and he may also give up quite a few big plays due to his lack of solid tackling and over aggressiveness. I just don’t see Moore making as many plays as some would believe considering his highlighted concerns. If the Falcons continue to employ the same concepts in their secondary in 2009, Moore may not be the fundamentally sound player they need to make the scheme work as he may allow as many plays as he makes.

William Middleton

Middleton has a thick build for the position, but he is a bit narrow through the hips. His body has a bit of a manufactured look to it. Despite his size, he does not seem to translate his strength to the field where he does not really alter the route of the receiver off of the line. Nor, does he simply lock the receiver up at the line. Chances are, Middleton will be asked to line up in the slot to begin the season, and so having this issue may not suit him well.

The former Furman star will also have issues when his cushion is pressed by the receiver. If the receiver can eat his cushion quickly, forcing him to transition from a back pedal to full out sprint he can struggle. He has the straight line speed to be effective, but he lacks fluid hips and an ability to plant and drive laterally. Middleton can look a little awkward when he is asked to change directions, especially when he is faced with a double move. Again, not a great trait if the team intends to use him to man the slot at times. However, this same lack of lateral explosion could hamper him on the outside, where the number of routes he will face will be expanded.

Middleton does make plays on the ball whilst it is in the air, but his lack of top flight agility prevents him from making more plays than he does. He may simply lack the explosion necessary to excel at the position on the next level, which is a key factor in the success of corners in my opinion. Straight line speed is nice, but if a player can accelerate quickly and is explosive, he should make more plays overall. Middleton can tackle and will not shy away from contact, which does help his chances, but his issues may prevent him from making the impact he should on the field.

Vance Walker

Vance Walker is a very troubling player in that he has a great deal of talent, but does not put it all together. He is very mercurial in his desire to make plays during the course of the game. He will disappear for long stretches of games, and then appear for only a few plays. He flashes enough talent to garner attention, but not enough to satisfy.

Walker could very well be a solid player on the next level if he could learn to use his hands to maximize his lower body’s efforts. He can come off the ball well, staying low and generating decent leg drive. But, Walker does not lead with his hands a great deal. Rather, he plays chest to chest a great deal; allowing his opponent to get into his pads and control his torso. Walker’s lack of stellar hand fighting techniques continues, as he does not use an arm over, rip or swim to beat his man up the field on a regular basis. If he allows his opponent to gain a foot hold on his pads, he struggles to disengage and make plays. The former Georgia Tech star does have decent lateral agility, and can slide down the line a bit; which does help his prospects somewhat. But, again, he does not disengage cleanly or frequently enough at this stage for me to consider him a candidate to contribute right away.

Walker was substituted out when the ball got inside the ten yard line in college; which may speak to his inability to disengage from his man. Walker needs to become much stronger in his chest and shoulders as his upper body can cave and turn when he tries to stand his ground against the run. He does have the lower body strength to dig in pretty well, but his lack of hand use and upper body strength prevent him from truly maximizing his talents at this stage. It is unfortunate, as Walker can come off the ball well, and will get himself into gaps along the offensive line, but he does not always capitalize on his early success. His hands can be lazy, and ineffective in making enough space for him to get his body completely through the hole. But, he does have the ability to disrupt the play due to his ability to stay low, generate leverage and shoot gaps. If he can grow as a player, he could be a nice find in the future, but right now, he has a way to go.

Garrett Reynolds

Garret Reynolds may not make much of an impact in his rookie season as he will likely be slated as a backup initially. Tyson Clabo is the incumbent starter, but he is hardly a franchise type player, and may be pushed by Reynolds next year. The former Tarheel does have the talent to grow into a starter in the near future in my opinion however. Reynolds has a nasty attitude, but does have some mobility issues. He needs to become fundamentally stronger if he wishes to play full time, but a year in an NFL weight room could be the answer.

Reynolds does not possess a great deal of lower body strength, which does hurt his ability to anchor against a bull rush. He is an aggressive try hard player, who will battle to the whistle. Unfortunately his aggressiveness and lack of lower body strength can have him leaning and off balance a bit. I think this can be cured with some added strength however. He will also tend to be a little tall in terms of his body position, again allowing him to get off balance.

Despite Reynolds issues with his lower half, he does use his length well and will lock out a great deal; keeping his man off his pads. He will create some initial pop, and uses his punch enough for it to be a factor, but he is not overpowering. Reynolds has the basics to be a quality player on the next level, but the fact the team appears to be set on the right side for the time being, along with his afore mentioned strength issues may keep him in the background this year. I do expect Reynolds to be challenging Clabo for the starter’s role next year however, barring any significant injuries.