EverydayImRusselin
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- Apr 15, 2013
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(In my best shamwow guy voice)
Well the draft is over and I'm pumped. At the end of 2015 our offense was on fire and our defense had regained some of their previous league best form. The playoff loss will leave a burning desire in our players, much like the 2012 loss to the Falcons. In free agency a few guys departed including Irvin, Okung, Mebane and Sweezy. Apart from that most of the team returns. There are a few injuries that might linger into the season but all in all the Hawks were looking solid going into the 2016 NFL draft.
Without questions the biggest need was OL, followed by DL and RB depth. The front office has said they wanted to regain that bully mentality that existed in 2013 when nearly every team we played ended up losing the following week because the Hawks were badass mofo's you didn't want to mess with. I would say they nailed this draft. The 3 biggest areas to improve were all addressed in multiple ways.
OL - with the 1st pick the Hawks selected a mammoth of a human being named Germain Ifedi. He is 6'6 325 lbs and has an 84"!!! Wingspan. That means if you stuck his arms out and turned him 90 degrees his hands would touch the floor and extend past a standard door height. That should serve him well while he tries to keep pass rushers off his body at RT this year. They then grabbed Rees Odhiambo from my alma mater Boise State. Now many people scratched their heads at this pick, but after further digging, he was considered a possible 2nd/3rd rd pick going into the 2015 season. Tom Cable said he loved the strength he played with and he should do well to compete at RG or LG. Many folks were clamoring for help at Center too and the Hawks grabbed a C from TCU, Joey Hunt. I don't know much about him, but he will provide competition for Lewis in training camp. All in all the Hawks injected some more talent into the OL and now have nearly the whole line under contract for 2+ years. In addition the Hawks finally grabbed that run blocking TE that has been missing since Miller retired.
DL - The Hawks had a solid DL but could certainly use some more talent. Mebane walked and they re-signed Ruben so they were looking for help stuffing the run and also could use some interior pass rush to push Hill to step up or move on. With the 2nd pick in the draft, the Hawks traded up for the player many said was the most dominant run stuffer in college. That sounds like a hell of a replacement for MebNe, who was no slouch as a run defender. Look for last years highly ranked run defense to continue in 2016. Regarding the interior pass rush, the Hawks grabbed a guy in Quintin Jefferson that they must have felt good about, because they traded up with the Patriots to grab him. In addition they also brought in Brandin Bryant as an UDFA. Watching both of these guys on tape, they both appear to possess the necessary skills to possibly push Hill off the roster. Bryant is a physical beast of a man and both players possess above average swim moves.
RB - For the 1st time in awhile RB was a bit of a question and Schneider made sure that will not be the case going into training camp. Rawls showed some insane stuff last year and should continue to be the bell cow back. The only other RB on the roster with any in game snaps, was Cmike and we all know how the front office feels about him, having traded him for a 7th rd pick last year. He came back and performed admirably but the Hawks needed some competition to push him. Drafting 3 RB is one way to do that. CJ Prosise is an explosive athlete with a lot to learn as a RB, but he looks like a great weapon to use in space. Alex Collins was one of my favorite RB until he ran a slow time at the combine and I figured no way they'd draft him. He looks like a mini beast mode, much like Rawls. They then took a flyer on Zac Brooks who appears to be the smaller pass catching type of RB that seems to be all the rage in the NFL today. All in all, I'd say the RB competition will be fierce this year.
In addition to these major needs the Hawks also managed to grab a bunch of other guys in UDFA. Boykin looks like a solid backup QB who has an athletic skill set in the RW model. George Fant looks to follow in Gilliams footsteps as a TE to OL convert. As mentioned above Bryant looks like a steal and the guy I'm most excited by, is David Perkins. He comes from Illinois State by way of Ohio State. Watch this video and then explain to me how he went undrafted. http://youtu.be/oG4wRWbjPTI That is a man who hits QBs like Kam hits Vernon Davis. I haven't seen a guy finish his sacks like that in awhile. He is a bit undersized right now, but could definitely add some weight to hold up in the NFL. He looks like he could help fill in as a pass rusher on 3rd downs. In addition to this guy, we grabbed a true jack of all trades in Tanner Mcevoy. He has played on both sides of the ball in college and in multiple positions. A great backup player to have.
All in all I feel the Hawks went back to basics on this draft. They added a lot of talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball. When I look at all the members of the LOB returning and the new guys competing in the secondary, along with the guys to help fill Irvin's role as 3rd down pass rusher, while still having Bennett and Avril terrorizing OL's, I see a defense that should return to SB champion form. Pair that with the huge step forward Wilson showed last year and the depth of skill positions we have in Graham, Rawls, Baldwin and Lockett and man I'm pumped. There are going to be quality role players cut in training camp much like 2013, but that is a good problem to have.
Go Hawks.
Well the draft is over and I'm pumped. At the end of 2015 our offense was on fire and our defense had regained some of their previous league best form. The playoff loss will leave a burning desire in our players, much like the 2012 loss to the Falcons. In free agency a few guys departed including Irvin, Okung, Mebane and Sweezy. Apart from that most of the team returns. There are a few injuries that might linger into the season but all in all the Hawks were looking solid going into the 2016 NFL draft.
Without questions the biggest need was OL, followed by DL and RB depth. The front office has said they wanted to regain that bully mentality that existed in 2013 when nearly every team we played ended up losing the following week because the Hawks were badass mofo's you didn't want to mess with. I would say they nailed this draft. The 3 biggest areas to improve were all addressed in multiple ways.
OL - with the 1st pick the Hawks selected a mammoth of a human being named Germain Ifedi. He is 6'6 325 lbs and has an 84"!!! Wingspan. That means if you stuck his arms out and turned him 90 degrees his hands would touch the floor and extend past a standard door height. That should serve him well while he tries to keep pass rushers off his body at RT this year. They then grabbed Rees Odhiambo from my alma mater Boise State. Now many people scratched their heads at this pick, but after further digging, he was considered a possible 2nd/3rd rd pick going into the 2015 season. Tom Cable said he loved the strength he played with and he should do well to compete at RG or LG. Many folks were clamoring for help at Center too and the Hawks grabbed a C from TCU, Joey Hunt. I don't know much about him, but he will provide competition for Lewis in training camp. All in all the Hawks injected some more talent into the OL and now have nearly the whole line under contract for 2+ years. In addition the Hawks finally grabbed that run blocking TE that has been missing since Miller retired.
DL - The Hawks had a solid DL but could certainly use some more talent. Mebane walked and they re-signed Ruben so they were looking for help stuffing the run and also could use some interior pass rush to push Hill to step up or move on. With the 2nd pick in the draft, the Hawks traded up for the player many said was the most dominant run stuffer in college. That sounds like a hell of a replacement for MebNe, who was no slouch as a run defender. Look for last years highly ranked run defense to continue in 2016. Regarding the interior pass rush, the Hawks grabbed a guy in Quintin Jefferson that they must have felt good about, because they traded up with the Patriots to grab him. In addition they also brought in Brandin Bryant as an UDFA. Watching both of these guys on tape, they both appear to possess the necessary skills to possibly push Hill off the roster. Bryant is a physical beast of a man and both players possess above average swim moves.
RB - For the 1st time in awhile RB was a bit of a question and Schneider made sure that will not be the case going into training camp. Rawls showed some insane stuff last year and should continue to be the bell cow back. The only other RB on the roster with any in game snaps, was Cmike and we all know how the front office feels about him, having traded him for a 7th rd pick last year. He came back and performed admirably but the Hawks needed some competition to push him. Drafting 3 RB is one way to do that. CJ Prosise is an explosive athlete with a lot to learn as a RB, but he looks like a great weapon to use in space. Alex Collins was one of my favorite RB until he ran a slow time at the combine and I figured no way they'd draft him. He looks like a mini beast mode, much like Rawls. They then took a flyer on Zac Brooks who appears to be the smaller pass catching type of RB that seems to be all the rage in the NFL today. All in all, I'd say the RB competition will be fierce this year.
In addition to these major needs the Hawks also managed to grab a bunch of other guys in UDFA. Boykin looks like a solid backup QB who has an athletic skill set in the RW model. George Fant looks to follow in Gilliams footsteps as a TE to OL convert. As mentioned above Bryant looks like a steal and the guy I'm most excited by, is David Perkins. He comes from Illinois State by way of Ohio State. Watch this video and then explain to me how he went undrafted. http://youtu.be/oG4wRWbjPTI That is a man who hits QBs like Kam hits Vernon Davis. I haven't seen a guy finish his sacks like that in awhile. He is a bit undersized right now, but could definitely add some weight to hold up in the NFL. He looks like he could help fill in as a pass rusher on 3rd downs. In addition to this guy, we grabbed a true jack of all trades in Tanner Mcevoy. He has played on both sides of the ball in college and in multiple positions. A great backup player to have.
All in all I feel the Hawks went back to basics on this draft. They added a lot of talent in the trenches on both sides of the ball. When I look at all the members of the LOB returning and the new guys competing in the secondary, along with the guys to help fill Irvin's role as 3rd down pass rusher, while still having Bennett and Avril terrorizing OL's, I see a defense that should return to SB champion form. Pair that with the huge step forward Wilson showed last year and the depth of skill positions we have in Graham, Rawls, Baldwin and Lockett and man I'm pumped. There are going to be quality role players cut in training camp much like 2013, but that is a good problem to have.
Go Hawks.
