The Falcoholic
The expected additions on defense arrive, even if they come in unexpected forms.
The Atlanta Falcons had to trade up to get one player they coveted, and they let another one come to them. By the time the second day of the 2024 NFL Draft was over, though, they had made a pair of additions to their defensive front that figure to have major roles this coming season.
Whether that eased or erased your concerns with that part of the Falcons defense is a question only you can answer, but it was a welcome day for me, given how few resources had gone toward that side of the ball to this point. Let’s review what the team did yesterday, as well as what the team said about the picks.
This was an unexpected selection...here. Our own Kevin Knight had mocked Orhorhoro to the Falcons in the third round, the most common landing spot for him in mock drafts and prospect guides, and I think many expected the Falcons to land the more highly rated Illinois defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton or Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry here.
Instead, anticipating a run on defensive tackles that began with their pick and likely believing Orhorhoro would be involved in that run, the Falcons traded the Calvin Ridley third rounder to move up about eight spots and land their guy.
What might Orhorhoro be? A rugged, athletic, and relentless run defender right away, he can be moved around on the line per matchup and front and be an asset immediately. The Falcons will likely try to use him on early downs to spell David Onyemata and Grady Jarrett, and will look to unlock his very real potential as a pass rusher as they go. The Falcons won’t have Onyemata and Jarrett on this roster in 2025, with at least one likely to go, and Orhorhoro will step into a much larger role when that happens. In the here and now, the Falcons will find him playing time, and he has intriguing potential as a fantastic athlete on a defense that prizes that up front.
This is not like the Penix pick, in the sense that Orhorhoro is ostensibly blocked but will play immediately because the team will rotate their defensive lineman. It’s just that given his still unrealized upside and the presence of veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, it’s likely that his greatest impact will come in 2025 and beyond.
Trice, meanwhile, will almost certainly contribute immediately. The Falcons do not have and will not have enough starting-caliber players at EDGE to keep Trice in mothballs, and he’s a productive pass rusher ready to make an impact. Crucially, he also knows Jimmy Lake well, and the team’s new defensive coordinator both likely pushed to get him and plans to feature him.
Trice joins an EDGE group that has exactly one surefire long-term option in Arnold Ebiketie, and thus...
