The Atlanta Falcons’ 2020 draft class was heavily criticized at the time, particularly the selection of Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell at pick No. 16. Looking at it one year later, though, it appears the team may have gotten a better draft haul than was initially believed.
Pro Football Focus ranked each team’s 2020 draft class in terms of production level and the Falcons came in at No. 14. While PFF’s Anthony Treash still doesn’t love the Terrell pick, he saw plenty of bright spots.
While neither of the Falcons’ Day 2 picks — defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (No. 47 overall) and center Matt Hennessy (No. 78 overall) — played all that well in their respective rookie campaigns, the Atlanta rookie class was still able to generate positive WAR as a whole.
First-rounder A.J. Terrell didn’t execute up to the standards of his position, earning a 57.0 coverage grade, but he did have more positives than you’d typically expect from a rookie, which led to him ranking second among first-year corners in PFF WAR generated. Atlanta also found some value in the fourth round with off-ball linebacker Mykal Walker, who finished eighth among Day 3 picks in PFF WAR generated.
As for Atlanta’s best value pick, Treash gives that distinction to linebacker Mykal Walker, the team’s fourth-round selection out of Fresno State.
Walker started just a handful of games this season for the Falcons, but he undoubtedly exceeded expectations across his 387 snaps as a rookie. The fourth-round pick earned a 90.7 coverage grade, allowing only 74 yards while forcing an incompletion and a fumble. He also made five passing stops.
First-year cornerbacks are always going to have a hard to adjusting to the NFL, especially without mini camp or preseason games to get some of those rookie mistakes out of the way. Terrell is expected to be a cornerstone for the Falcons’ defensive perimeter and should see a big improvement this upcoming season.
As for Walker, he had a strong start to the season, but his playing time took a slight dip after the team parted ways with Dan Quinn. Once Raheem Morris stepped in as the interim coach, Walker played 45 percent or less of the defensive snaps for the remainder of the year. However, the rookie did still manage to land a spot on PFF’s All-Rookie team.
As I previously wrote, Marlon Davidson, Jaylinn Hawkins and Walker could each see their roles with the team expand in 2021. Third-round pick Matt Hennessy will likely become the unchallenged starter to replace veteran center Alex Mack.
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