The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4. Falcons dig deep for talent
Falcons expecting continued success with signees.
The Falcons expect to find some successful players among the 21 undrafted free agents they’ve acquired, hoping there’s a Brent Grimes or Paul Worrilow somewhere in the mix.
FLOWERY BRANCH — As Falcons coach Dan Quinn talks about the draft, he makes a point to underscore the team’s undrafted free agent rookie class.
Quinn noted that when he was with Seattle, the Seahawks were able to develop Michael Bennett into one of the top defensive ends in the league after he went undrafted and started his career with Tampa Bay.
The Falcons had some previous success with Brent Grimes, who was spotted at Shippensburg by former scout Bruce Plummer. The Falcons also found undrafted free agents in right tackle Ryan Schraeder, linebacker Paul Worrilow, cornerback Brian Poole and safety Sharrod Neasman.
Here’s a closer look at the 21 undrafted rookies the Falcons signed:
■ Travis Averill (Boise State) was an All-Mountain West first team center last season, paving the way for an offense that recorded 472.8 yards per game.
■ Robert Morris’ Marcellis Branch was named All-Northeast Conference safety for the third time after collecting 71 total tackles, two interceptions and a blocked field goal return for a touchdown in 2016. He started a school-record 42 games and totaled 251 tackles, seven interceptions and 28 passes defensed over his career.
■ Daniel Brunskill (San Diego State) made the switch from tight end to left tackle before his senior season and earned second-team All-Mountain West honors in his one year at the position. Brunskill was a Burlsworth Trophy nominee, the award given to the top college walk-on, which Falcons wide receiver Justin Hardy won in 2014.
■ Deante Burton made 35 career starts at wide receiver for Kansas State, where he caught 84 passes for 1,085 yards with five touchdowns in four seasons. Burton was part of a Wildcats class that went 32-20 with two bowl victories in four years.
■ Wide receiver Reginald Davis (Texas Tech) finished last season with 15 receptions for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He also was a return specialist, returning 14 kickoffs an average of 19.4 yards per attempt.
■ Darius English was named second-team AllSEC linebacker after leading South Carolina with nine sacks. He had 57 tackles, including a team-leading 13 tackles for loss (10th in the SEC). English was the Georgia Class AAAAA defensive player of the year after a 21-sack senior season at McEachern High in Powder Springs.
■ Southern Mississippi tackle Wil Freeman was selected to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2013. He saw action on both sides of the ball.
■ Jarnor Jones (Iowa State) played 24 games at cornerback over two seasons, totaling 78 tackles with one interception, 9.5 tackles for loss and 11 passes defensed. Jones spent one season at Georgia Military College after transferring from N.C. State. A Lithonia native, Jones was an all-region selection in football and basketball at Martin Luther King High.
■ Defensive end J’terius Jones made 149 total tackles with 35.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, six passes defensed, five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in three seasons at Miami (Ohio). An East Atlanta native, he graduated from Miller Grove High in Lithonia.
■ Cam Keizur was named the All-Big Sky Conference center last season, while he played both guard and center for Portland State. Last year, Keizur blocked for an offense that averaged 454 total yards per game.
■ Andreas Knappe started all 12 games at right tackle at Connecticut in 2016, when the 6-foot-8 lineman from Denmark helped the Huskies reach the 100-yard mark rushing six times.
■ Robert Leff played in a team-leading 53 games with 15 starts during his four years at Auburn. Last season, he was an All-SEC second-team selection after starting 13 games at right tackle.
■ Wide receiver Josh Magee (South Alabama) had 49 receptions for 822 yards with five touchdowns last season, leading the team in all three categories. Magee was selected in the 18th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by Houston and played in the minor league system for three seasons.
■ Safety Quincy Mauger played four years at Georgia where he totaled 187 tackles (129 solo) with seven interceptions, 5.5 tackles for loss, 12 passes defensed and one forced fumble. The Marietta native was an all-state selection at Kell High.
■ Jordan Moore began his collegiate career at Texas Christian where he played football and ran track, before transferring to LSU and then to the University of Texas-San Antonio. He was an honorable mention Conference USA selection last year as strong safety.
■ Chris Odom took full advantage of his one season at defensive end at Arkansas State, posting 12.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles in 13 games. The Texas native has an NFL pedigree as his father, Cliff, spent 13 seasons with the Colts. Chris Odom played on the same defensive line as Myles Garrett at Martin High in Arlington, Texas.
■ Tyler Renew ranks fifth on The Citadel’s all-time career rushing list with 2,828 yards. The Columbia, S.C. native had nine career 100yard rushing games, which is eighth in school history.
■ Taylor Reynolds, a 6-1 cornerback at James Madison, tallied 55 total tackles, along with five tackles for loss, two interceptions and 14 passes defensed, which led the Colonial Athletic Association.
■ Christian Tago was three-time an All-Mountain West selection at linebacker for San Jose State. He started 40 of 43 games, totaling 384 tackles and 33 tackles for loss and posted 16 games with double-digit tackles.
■ Quarterback Alek Torgersen had a highly decorated career at Penn, breaking several all-time Ivy League records, including ranking first in completion percentage (67.4)
■ Deron Washington was a four-year starter at safety for Pittsburg State in Kansas. He finished his senior season with 60 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.