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Draft Day at Flowery Branch

What do you think of the Falcons selecting Georgia running back Thomas Brown in the NFL Draft?





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Friday - 05/02/08, 12:00PM

Second day of draft offers no chance to rest

by J. Michael Moore, Atlantafalcons.com Managing Editor
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News » Features » NFL Draft » Curtis Lofton » Chevis Jackson » Matt Ryan » Sam Baker » Thomas Brown » Thomas DeCoud » Harry Douglas » Kroy Biermann » Wilrey Fontenot »

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Managing Editor J. Michael Moore sat down with Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff earlier this week to recap the NFL Draft from his perspective. In part two of this two-part series learn about some of the behind-the-scenes discussions on what was an important draft for the franchise. Click here to view part one.


FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- By 6 p.m. last Saturday, Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff had put in more than a full day's work.

He got to the Falcons practice facility early and kicked off one of the most important player drafts in franchise history by selecting quarterback Matt Ryan with the third overall pick. By dinner time, the rookie general manager had orchestrated a trade to put the Falcons back in the first round to select offensive tackle Sam Baker.

But, in many ways, the real work was just beginning.

The NFL shortened the first day of the draft this season, holding just the first two rounds on Saturday. The Falcons entered the day with three second round picks. Two were sent to the Redskins as part of the trade to get Baker.

With one shot in the second round, Dimitroff and his team couldn't take a breather.

At No. 37 the team drafted Curtis Lofton.

"We knew there were three linebackers that we deemed possible first-round guys," Dimitroff said. "That happened to be (Keith) Rivers, (Jerod) Mayo and Lofton. Two guys went in the first round; you saw Mayo went early to New England then Rivers goes. Then we started thinking, 'Do we really have a chance?' As the offensive line sweep went through we thought we had a really good opportunity. If there wasn't the same offensive line (run) then we probably wouldn't have an opportunity to get this kid."

In Lofton the Falcons get a highly-productive linebacker that started 19 games at Oklahoma. He recorded 197 tackles (117 solo) with a two-yard sack and 16 stops for losses of 33 yards. He caused five fumbles and recovered two others, returning one 12 yards for a score.

With such a presence on defense, everyone could sleep easy heading into Day Two, which started with a three-pick third round.

The Falcons picked up an extra third-round choice in the trade with Washington. To note, the Falcons had no net loss of picks in the trade. That was import to the general manager. Atlanta had a chance to trade up to No. 19 to select an offensive lineman, but the asking price was too steep.

"I don't want to go into next year devoid of a pick," he said. "For me, it's always been about acquiring them and not giving them away. When Philadelphia came in and started asking for a future No. 1, I was about ready to hang the phone up because I knew we weren't going in the right direction."

With value to be gained, the Falcons got another potential starter in the third round (cornerback Chevis Jackson) and a speedy wide receiver named Harry Douglas. The team rounded out the round by picking up special teams star and versatile safety Thomas DeCoud.

Dimitroff spoke highly of Douglas, a Georgia native, in post-draft press conferences and said others on the offensive coaching staff shared his opinion. The team was out of the trade market by that time of the draft and feels lucky that Douglas -- the top of several "slot-type" receivers on their board -- was available. It's not uncommon for scouts and coaches to have favorites in the selection process, but the general manager warns against it.

"You have an attachment to certain players and it can be an albatross around your neck at times," Dimitroff said. "You might have been attached to him the last few months and you've always talked about him."

But because of the time invested it's not uncommon for discussions to pop up about players in the later rounds.

"The draft board is definitely very set, but we'll bring a coordinator or a position coach into the draft room and hit it one more time," Dimitroff said. "It's not an out of control discussion because, ultimately, we know what we're going to do. But there may be one of two guys up there that we'll revisit that are side-by-side. That discussion can come up as long as it's controlled and I think it's up to me to control that discussion."

Those involved in discussions mark a bit of a change from Dimitroff's time in New England. He said area scouts don't sit in the Patriots' war room. He adapted many of his procedures from his time in New England but that's one rule he didn't carry over.

"It's their game day and I think it's very important for them to be in the room," he said. "In New England it was more of an isolated situation with fewer people in the draft room."

The team moved on to select some relatively unknown players in rounds five through six, including defensive end Kroy Biermann (Montana) and Arizona's Wilrey Fontanot, who played cornerback opposite first-round selection Antoine Cason. With its only sixth-round pick the Falcons selected Georgia's Thomas Brown. Dimitroff said Sunday Brown could fight for a backup running back spot and help on kick returns.

The general manager said the team started identifying its seven undrafted free agent signings at the beginning of the sixth round. Teams can't negotiate with said players until the end of the draft, but re-stacking the board with targets can be an interesting process.

"Just as you do (select players), guys start coming off the board," he said. "You're always replenishing that list as the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds go on."

Dimitroff  received some congratulatory phone calls from friends around the league during and after the draft. He's happy with the validation such calls bring, but the real rank of the draft class will come with time.

At the very least, the team added some players -- in every round -- that could compete for starting spots.

There's no time to rest.

"(Head Coach) Mike Smith has always stressed that its important to be competitive at all positions no matter where they're at -- starters, incumbents or new combers," Dimitroff said. "They all know every position is up for competition from day one. That's the only way you can look at this game. To come in and expect you have that starting spot... I don't think it does a good thing for the energy of the team."


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