Tag: Atlanta Falcons

Ruke Orhorhoro joins Clemson-Atlanta Falcons connection

2024 NFL Draft: The Clemson Tigers have a long list of players who suited up for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. Defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is the latest.

Ruke Orhorhoro will find no shortage of Clemson brethren when he steps into the Atlanta Falcons locker room for the first time.

The standout defensive tackle was drafted 35th overall by Atlanta in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night. The Falcons traded up with the Arizona Cardinals to draft Orhorhoro in a move that came as a surprise to draft analysts and pundits.

While at Clemson, Orhorhoro finished a stellar five-year career with 97 total tackles (25.5 for loss). He also had 12 sacks, nine pass breakups and two fumble recoveries over 53 games.

Assuming the Falcons’ roster stays as is, Orhorhoro will be one of five former Clemson players who will take the field for Atlanta in 2024.

The Falcons are no stranger to drafting Clemson talent through the years. In 2020, the franchise selected cornerback A.J. Terrell with their first-round pick (16th overall). Veteran defensive end Grady Jarrett, who just completed his ninth season with the team, was a fifth-round pick by Atlanta in 2015.

In free agency, the Falcons added a former Clemson standout last month in wide receiver/kick returner Ray-Ray McCloud. And on special teams, Bradley Pinion has been the Falcons’ punter each of the past two seasons, starting all 34 games. Pinion was a fifth-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 who started two years at Clemson.

Among other former Clemson players who starred with Atlanta at one point or another through the years, linebacker Vic Beasley was drafted eighth overall by the Dirty Birds in 2015. Malliciah Goodman was a fourth-round pick by Atlanta in 2013 and spent parts of four seasons with the Falcons.

To take things further back in time, according to the statistical website Sports-Reference.com, the Falcons drafted their first Clemson player in 1984 with the selection of cornerback Rod McSwain.

McSwain was a member of the Tigers’ 1981 national championship team under coach Danny Ford and was chosen in the third round by Atlanta. The Falcons and coach Dan Henning traded McSwain to New England in August of that year before the start of the ’84 season.

A year later, the Falcons selected another cornerback out of Clemson in Reggie Pleasant. Pleasant was a late-round pick who only played in three games during his NFL career — all in 1985.

And in 1987, the Falcons went in on another Tigers player when they drafted running back Kenny Flowers, who started 44 games in four years at Clemson. Flowers played in two seasons with Atlanta in 1987 and 1989.

Orhorhoro is the first Clemson player drafted by Atlanta since Terrell in 2020.

What is Falcons DT Ruke Orhorhoro’s projected cap hit in 2024?

Looking at Falcons second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro’s projected salary cap hit in 2024

On Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons traded up to pick No. 35 and took Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro. This selection addresses a need for Atlanta, plus the team doubled down by taking another defensive player in Round 3.

Now that Orhorhoro is a Falcon, what is his projected salary cap hit for the 2024 season? Over The Cap breaks down the projected rookie salary for each player based on their respective draft slot.

Since Orhorhoro was the No. 35 pick in the draft, he will account for $1,616,055 of the Falcons’ cap space this season. This number isn’t tied to any specific position group, it’s just the allotted cap hit for that particular draft spot.

That $1,616,055 shows just how far the dropoff is for players drafted in the first round compared to those drafted on Day 2 and beyond. The projected total for the 2024 rookie class for Atlanta is $11,483,170.

Currently, the Falcons have just over $5 million in available cap space, so expect moves to be made before a number of the class is signed.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

WATCH: Falcons EDGE Bralen Trice’s top college highlights

College Highlights: Falcons EDGE Bralen Trice’s top plays at Washington

The Falcons rounded out Day 2 of the 2024 NFL by taking a second straight defensive player. This time, they drafted Washington EDGE Bralen Trice with their third-round pick (No. 74 overall).

Trice didn’t play his freshman year, but was featured in six games in 2021 and accounted for 14 total tackles. He bested that total in 2022 and then again in 2024.  He also posted a career-high in sacks and tackles for loss in 2022 — with nine and 12 respectively.

Check out Trice’s best college highlights, as shared by the team’s Twitter account below:

Orhorhoro has elite RAS

Fans react to Orhorhoro pick

Falcons pick EDGE Bralen Trice

Why Penix pick could pay off

Twitter reacts to Penix pick

PFF grades Falcons’ selection of DL Ruke Orhorhoro in Round 2

Pro Football Focus grades Falcons’ selection of Clemson DL Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round of the 2024 draft

The Falcons, using the third-round pick acquired from the Jaguars in the Calvin Ridley trade, moved up in the second round to select Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

With this pick, the Falcons fill one of their biggest needs following Thursday’s surprise QB selection in Round 1. However, Orhorhoro wasn’t considered a second-round prospect by some national draft analysts.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah even had the rookie out of the top 50 overall players. Pro Football Focus shared Jeremiah’s sentiment,labeling Atlanta with another “below average” grade:

Atlanta gives up its third-round pick to move up eight spots and take the 67th-ranked player overall on the PFF big board. Orhorhoro is a powerful, athletic defensive lineman with some movability along the defensive line. That didn’t translate to high-level production at the college level, though, as he posted a sub-50th percentile pass-rush grade on true pass sets over the past two seasons. With several talented interior defensive linemen left on the board, this is a bet on his athleticism and continued development in the NFL. — PFF

There are a lot of question marks surrounding the Falcons’ first two draft choices, but at least PFF sees Orhorhoro’s athletic potential. The last time Atlanta got a defensive tackle in the second round was Marlon Davidson, who flamed out fast.

The Falcons hope this pick turns out a little more like former Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and less like Davidson.

Orhorhoro has elite RAS

Fans react to Orhorhoro pick

Falcons pick EDGE Bralen Trice

Why Penix pick could pay off

Twitter reacts to Penix pick

PFF grades Falcons’ selection of EDGE Bralen Trice in Round 3

Pro Football Focus reacts to Falcons’ selection of Washington EDGE Bralen Trice in Round 3

Going into the draft, the defensive tackle and edge positions were atop the list of roster needs for the Atlanta Falcons. After doubling down on defensive players with their Day 2 selections, the Falcons have managed to address both positions with one day left to spare.

Washington EDGE Bralen Trice is the newest rookie to join the Falcons, following former Huskies teammate Michael Penix to Atlanta. The team’s 2024 draft class hasn’t exactly received glowing reviews, however, the Trice pick earned Atlanta’s highest grade thus far from Pro Football Focus.

The Falcons rookie edge rusher was given an “average” rating from PFF following his selection at pick No 79:

Trice was one of the most productive pass-rushers over the past two seasons. This is the right spot for him, as the Falcons finally get the edge defender many expected them to grab early in the first round. Trice earned 90.0-plus pass-rush grades in each of the past two seasons and racked up 150 total pressures from 869 pass-rushing snaps in that span. – PFF

Trice should be a positive addition to this team as he was quite impactful on that Washington defense over the years. He ended his college career playing just three seasons with over 100 total tackles and 18 total sacks.

Orhorhoro has elite RAS

Fans react to Orhorhoro pick

Falcons pick EDGE Bralen Trice

Why Penix pick could pay off

Twitter reacts to Penix pick

WATCH: Falcons rookie DL Ruke Orhorhoro’s college highlights

WATCH: Falcons rookie defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro’s college highlights

After moving up in the draft via trade with the Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons selected defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro in the second round (pick No. 35). Orhorhoro fills an immediate need for Atlanta along the defensive line.

Orhorhoro didn’t play much during his first few years in college, but he appeared in 37 games. He posted a career-high five sacks in 2023. The Clemson standout registered eight tackles for loss in each of the last three seasons.

Check out Orhorhoro’s best college highlights, as shared by the team’s Twitter account below:

Orhorhoro has elite RAS

Fans react to Orhorhoro pick

Falcons pick EDGE Bralen Trice

Why Penix pick could pay off

Twitter reacts to Penix pick

Atlanta Falcons trade up to get Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro in early second round of NFL Draft

NFL Draft: The Atlanta Falcons traded up to select Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro in the early second round (35th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft Friday night.

Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorboro has been selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons traded up with the Arizona Cardinals to select Orhorboro with the No. 35 overall pick early Friday night. Orhorboro was credited with 97 tackles (25.5 for loss), 12 sacks, nine pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in 1,526 career snaps over 53 games (including 30 starts) at Clemson from 2019-23.

In his final season at Clemson, Orhorboro started all 12 games and had 25 total tackles (13 solo), including eight tackles for loss and five sacks.

Per USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis:

He had nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss over the past two years for the Tigers. Orhorhoro could succeed Grady Jarrett in a year while playing behind him and David Onyemata and refining his craft in the interim for a defense that needs to generate more pressure. A bit unpolished, Orhorhoro is definitely a good athlete, the 6-4, 294-pounder running a sub-4.9 40 at the combine.

Bears GM Ryan Poles barely hid a laugh when asked about the Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr.

The Falcons are the joke of the NFL right now.

In the NFL, there is nothing like making a perceived mistake league-wide. Truly, when it comes to going against the grain of the common consensus — if it rains, it pours. The Atlanta Falcons are learning that the hard way after they shockingly drafted former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Beyond the Falcons stunning their own fans, it seems pretty clear their Penix pick also took other NFL general managers off guard.

RELATED: Why the Falcons might have drafted Penix. 

Take Bears general manager Ryan Poles, for example. When explaining his thought process after seeing receiver Rome Odunze drop to Chicago at No. 9 overall, Poles was asked about his thoughts on Atlanta’s quarterback pick just before. He could barely stifle a laugh before composing himself and delivering an appropriately professional answer.

While the charitable (and likely) interpretation is that Poles mainly appreciated Atlanta opening the door to Odunze wearing a Bears uniform, his immediate slip reaction said it all — he apparently found the Falcons’ evaluative draft process leading them to Penix very amusing.

You can find the exchange starting at the 11:05 timestamp in the video below, courtesy of the Bears:

The Falcons can only hope that anyone who reacted to the Penix pick like this comes to regret their laughter in due time. For the time being, though, they are the convenient (and understandable) piñata of the league.

Featured image courtesy of the Chicago Bears. 

Kirk Cousins showed a ton of class by reaching out to Michael Penix Jr. after the Falcons drafted him

Kirk Cousins is a classy guy.

It’s still a bit jarring that the Atlanta Falcons picked Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

It’s not the pick that’s as shocking as what the Falcons did a month ago in paying free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins a major salary.

While Cousins was reportedly shocked by the pick like the rest of us, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback lived up to his classy reputation by welcoming Penix after the Falcons selected him.

Per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall, Penix said in his opening press conference that he “had a very good conversation” with Cousins after the latter reached out on Thursday night.

While the pick is as polarizing as these things can go in the draft process, it doesn’t really seem (at least right now) that there will be any major controversy for the Falcons.

Cousins will start for the team for the next few seasons, and Penix will eventually succeed him if all goes well for his development.

This is a huge gamble for the Falcons, but it could work out really well if Penix is as good as the team thinks he is and Cousins sparks the winning culture Atlanta craves in the meantime.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1371]

Bucs GM Jason Licht reacts to Falcons picking Michael Penix Jr. in 1st round

One of the Bucs’ division rivals made the most shocking pick of the first round Thursday night

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waited to make their top selection in the 2024 NFL draft at No. 26 overall Thursday night, one of their division rivals delivered the biggest surprise of the first round.

The Atlanta Falcons spent the No. 8 overall pick on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., despite having just signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in free agency last month.

Speaking to the media after the Bucs picked Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, general manager Jason Licht gave his thoughts on the Falcons’ shocking selection.

“I’m sure that they have their reason for it, which I can see,” Licht said. “It’s good long-term planning there. If you hit on him, you’ve got the future with you. I totally understood it. I didn’t think that it was a crazy move whatsoever. I thought somebody was going to probably do that with him.”

Penix was definitely one of the best quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, but he turns 24 years old next month, and has a long history of serious injuries from earlier in his career at Indiana. Drafting an older quarterback who has dealt with injuries in the past as a succession plan for a high-priced, 36-year-old veteran coming off a torn Achilles seemed like an odd decision by Atlanta.

Licht was clearly happy the Bucs got their man in Barton, and he might also be pleased that the Falcons’ top pick isn’t likely to make an immediate impact this season unless Cousins struggles or sustains another serious injury.

[lawrence-related id=86744]