Tag: atlanta falcons draft

Watch: Falcons’ draft call with Georgia TE John FitzPatrick

Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick is staying home with the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons made some Georgia Bulldogs fans happy in the NFL draft. Atlanta selected Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick and offensive guard Justin Shaffer.

The Falcons picked FitzPatrick in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft with the No. 213 pick.

FitzPatrick is a strong blocking tight end and could be more of a receiving threat this upcoming season. FitzPatrick played through a foot injury during much of the 2021 football season with Georgia.

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end and Atlanta native played soccer with the Falcons owner’s son growing up. FitzPatrick is a little big to be a soccer player these days and that suits the Falcons just fine.

Here’s the Falcons’ NFL draft call with Georgia’s John FitzPatrick:

It is always awesome when hometown players get to play at home during the NFL draft.

FitzPatrick played in all 15 games for Georgia during the 2021 season. He finished the year with six catches for 83 yards, and his career-long catch of 28 yards came in a win against Vanderbilt. FitzPatrick did not see many targets partially because he was behind Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington on the depth chart.

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NFL Combine schedule for Georgia football’s 10 invitees

Here’s the 2020 NFL Combine schedule for the Georgia football players invited.

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Georgia had 10 players invited to participate in the 2020 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The combine will take place from February 23rd to March 2nd, with on-field workouts beginning on the 27th.

The 10 Georgia players that received an invite are as follows:

• K Rodrigo Blankenship

• WR Lawrence Cager

• QB Jake Fromm

• RB Brian Herrien

•  OL Solomon Kindley

• S J.R. Reed

• RB D’Andre Swift

• OL Andrew Thomas

• OL Isaiah Wilson

• TE Charlie Woerner

For the players that did not receive an invite, and for those who did but want to better their scores, Georgia will host its annual pro-day, where coaches from all 32 NFL teams should be present.

As for the 10 players who will be in Indianapolis next week, they’ll be busy with everything from orientation, to interviews, medical exams, psychological testing, media sessions and an NFLPA meeting.

And then finally they’ll hit the field for their workouts.

They’ll be broken up into groups. Here’s a list of those groups and the Georgia players who will be in them.

Group 1: TE, QB, WR (Fromm, Cager, Woerner)

Group 2: PK, ST, OL, RB (Blankenship, Thomas, Kindley, Wilson, Swift, Herrien)

Group 3: DL, LB (No UGA players)

Group 4: DB (JR Reed)

Here’s the schedule for the 10 Dawgs who will be there, provided by NFLCombine.net.

Group 1: (Fromm, Cager, Woerner)

Sunday, Feb. 23: Arrive in Indy, Registration, Orientation, Interviews

Monday, Feb. 24: Measurements, Pre-exam at hospital, Interviews

Tuesday, Feb. 25: Media session, Medical exams, Position coach interviews, Psychological testing

Wednesday, Feb. 26: NFLPA Meeting, Interviews, Bench Press, Psychological Testing

Thursday, Feb. 27: Limited testing, On-field Workout

Friday, Feb. 28: Departure from Indianapolis

Group 2: (Blankenship, Thomas, Kindley, Wilson, Swift, Herrien)

Monday, Feb. 24: Arrive in Indy, Registration, Orientation, Interviews

Tuesday, Feb. 25: Measurements, Pre-exam at hospital, Interviews

Wednesday, Feb. 26: Media session, Medical exams, Position coach interviews, Psychological testing

Thursday, Feb. 27: NFLPA Meeting, Interviews, Bench Press, Psychological Testing

Friday, Feb. 28: Limited testing, On-field Workout

Saturday, Feb. 29: Departure from Indianapolis

Group 4: DB (JR Reed)

Wednesday, Feb. 26: Arrive, Registration, Orientation, Interviews

Thursday, Feb. 27: Measurements, Pre-exam at hospital, Interviews

Friday, Feb. 28: Media session, Medical exams, Position coach interviews, Psychological testing

Saturday, Feb. 29: NFLPA Meeting, Interviews, Bench Press, Psychological Testing

Sunday, March 1: Limited testing, On-field Workout

Monday, March 2: Departure from Indianapolis

Multiple former Georgia players go to Falcons rivals in latest NFL mock draft

Three former Georgia football players, including Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason, go to Atlanta Falcons’ rivals.

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The NFL Draft is coming up in just a few months and multiple former Bulldogs are expecting to hear their names called in Las Vegas.

In the latest four-round 2020 NFL mock draft done by USA TODAY’s DraftWire, multiple former Georgia players go in round one and three guys head to the NFC South.

However, none are projected to go the Falcons, a franchise that has routinely passed up on drafting players from the in-state university over the years.

Round 1:

Nov 30, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Solomon Kindley (66) and offensive lineman Andrew Thomas (71) celebrate with fans after a victory against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The first two picks of the draft see Joe Burrow headed to Cincinnati and Chase Young to Washington.

Andrew Thomas goes early…

Pick No. 4: Andrew Thomas to the Giants

At No. 4 the first Dawg, offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, gets taken by the New York Giants.

On Thomas, DraftWire wrote:

If the Giants want Daniel Jones to become a true franchise quarterback, they’re going to have to protect him. General manager Dave Gettleman is as old-school as they come, so don’t be surprised when he spends this pick in the trenches. Moving back would be ideal given this year’s depth at both tackle and along the interior, but if they’re stuck here, Thomas is a strong pick.

At No. 5, the Miami Dolphins take Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Kindley to Tennessee…

Pick No. 29: Solomon Kindley to the Titans

In the first round, at pick No. 29, Georgia has its second player selected in the draft. Offensive guard Solomon Kindley, one of the most consistent blockers at Georgia over the past couple of seasons, is projected to the Tennessee Titans, where he would team up with former UGA center Ben Jones.

On Kindley, Draft Wire wrote:

If Derrick Henry leaves in free agency, running back obviously becomes a strong possibility here. But if he returns, the Titans should focus on fortifying an already strong offensive line with young reinforcements. Kindley is the best of a deep class of interior blockers, and his experience against top competition in the SEC have him ready to make an impact from Day 1.

Former Bulldog goes to the NFC South in the second round…

Related — JR Reed ranks low in USA TODAY NFL Draft position rankings

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The Atlanta Falcons should draft Georgia’s D’Andre Swift

The NFL Atlanta Falcons should draft Georgia football running back D’Andre Swift.

ATLANTA, Ga.–The Atlanta Falcons should take Georgia running back D’Andre Swift in the first round of the NFL draft, which is April 23-25 this year in Paradise, Nv., of greater Las Vegas.

As the NFL team playing in Atlanta, the Falcons find themselves in a unique marketing situation that is not going anywhere. Atlanta itself has, over the past two decades or so, transcended other markets for American college football to the level that it is now widely considered the World Capital of College Football. The Atlanta Falcons can capitalize on this unrivaled collegiate popularity by drafting a University of Georgia runner.

Nov 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back D’Andre Swift (7) is pushed out of bounds by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Lance Austin (17) in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

D’Andre Swift declared early for the NFL draft as a junior running back out of UGA; he should still be available with the 16th overall pick. It is believed by many Georgia fans that the Dawgs would have won it all in the 2019 season had he not been so banged up in the college postseason.

The greater metro Atlanta statistical area of $5.6 is full of regional transplants from all over the South and other regions of the country, and the diehard loyalty to the Falcons is simply not felt here in the organization’s many lean times. Yet, the city remains so hungry for a professional sports winner, that the denizens will rally around any pro team making a run.

After losing the Super Bowl by abandoning the running game completely, with a big halftime lead, and then failing to keep any positive momentum in the following years, drafting a member of the vaunted running back university (“RBU”) stable from local favorite Georgia could build some faith in the Falcons’ stated future plans to be more physical.

At UGA, D’Andre Swift ran for 1,218 yards on 196 carries as a junior and 163 times for 1,049 yards as a sophomore. He chipped in 618 rushing yards to the backfield with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, as a true freshman.

The Falcons (7-9 record) finished 30th in the NFL in rush yards in 2019.