The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bills take Georgia’s Glenn 41st
Lineman expected to go higher but excited to be pro.
Georgia’s Cordy Glenn had to wait a lot longer than he expected, but he realized his lifelong dream of becoming a professional football player Friday night.
Glenn, an offensive lineman from Riverdale High School, was selected by Buffalo with the ninth pick of the second round Friday, and 41st overall. The 6-foot-5 ½, 348-pound tackle was one of 26 players invited by the NFL to Radio City Music Hall in New York for Thursday night’s festivities only to go undrafted.
Glenn returned to Atlanta on Friday and was at home when he got the news that the Bills had selected him.
“I am happy,” Glenn said on the Bills’ website. “One, I get to play left tackle and, two, Buffalo is one of my favorite teams. I am just happy I get to play football. I know where I am playing at now. It is a big relief. ... I wish I could have [been selected] earlier but I am just happy to be picked. It is a big honor.”
Glenn was considered by most draft analysts as a sure-fire first-round selection because of his ability to play either guard or tackle and especially after running the 40-yard dash in less than five seconds at the NFL combine. Instead, six offensive linemen were selected ahead of him.
Glenn started 50 games in four seasons at Geor- gia, including all 14 at left tackle in 2011. Thirtytwo of his starts came at guard.
As it is, Glenn was the first Georgia player off the board in the 2012 draft. Several other Bulldogs were still waiting to hear their names called as the second round ended, including tight end Orson Charles, the only underclassman of the group. Others were cornerback Brandon Boykin, center Ben Jones, offensive tackle Justin Anderson, punter Drew Butler and tight end Aron White.
Buffalo had put the word out after Thursday’s first round was over that it was considering an offensive lineman such as Glenn in the second round. The Bills were among the NFL leaders for sacks allowed, but were heading into next season with three offensive tackles on the roster, and that’s where they intend to give Glenn the first look.
“For us, a guy with that size and that type of foot athlete, you try him out at tackle,” Doug Whaley, Buffalo’s director of player development, told reporters covering the draft.
“We believe he’s got a chance to play there and produce there at a high level.”
Georgia coach Mark Richt said Glenn’s decision to come back his senior season and play tackle full time definitely benefited him.
“I think he made a wise decision to come back and play another year and prove he could be athletic enough to play on the edge, too, in the best league in college football,” Richt said.
Second round (Friday)
33. St. Louis, Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State. 34. Indianapolis, Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford. 35. Baltimore (from Minnesota), Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama. 36. Denver (from Tampa Bay), Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati. 37. Cleveland, Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California. 38. Jacksonville, Andre Branch, DE, Clemson. 39. St. Louis (from Washington), Janoris Jenkins, DB, North Alabama. 40. Carolina, Amini Silatolu, G, Midwestern State. 41. Buffalo, Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia. 42. Miami, Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford. 43. N.Y. Jets (from Seattle), Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech. 44. Kansas City, Jeff Allen, G, Illinois. 45. Chicago (from Dallas through St. Louis), Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina. 46. Philadelphia, Mychal Kendricks, LB, California. 47. Seattle (from N.Y. Jets), Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State. 48. New England (from Oakland), Tavon Wilson, DB, Illinois. 49. San Diego, Kendall Reyes, DE, Connecticut. 50. St. Louis (from Chicago), Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati. 51. Green Bay (from Arizona through Philadelphia), Jerel Worthy, DE, Michigan State. 52. Tennessee, Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina. 53. Cincinnati, Devon Still, DT, Penn State. 54. Detroit, Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma. 55. Atlanta, Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin. 56. Pittsburgh, Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State. 57. Denver, Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State. 58. Tampa Bay (from Houston), Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska. (New Orleans forfeited ) 59. Philadelphia (from Green Bay), Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall. 60. Baltimore, Kelechi Osemele, OT, Iowa State. 61. San Francisco, Lamichael James, RB, Oregon. 62. Green Bay (from New England), Casey Hayward, DB, Vanderbilt. 63. N.Y. Giants, Rueben Randle, WR, LSU. 64. Indianapolis, Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson. 65. St. Louis, Trumaine Johnson, DB, Montana. 66. Minnesota, Josh Robinson, DB, UCF. 67. Denver (from Cleveland), Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State. 68. Houston (from Tampa Bay), Devier Posey, WR, Ohio State. 69. Buffalo (from Washington), T.J. Graham, WR, N.C. State. 70. Jacksonville, Bryan Anger, P, California. 71. Washington (from Buffalo), Josh Leribeus, G, SMU. 72. Miami, Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami. 73. San Diego (from Carolina through Chicago and Miami), Brandon Taylor, DB, LSU. 74. Kansas City, Donald Stephenson, OT, Oklahoma. 75. Seattle, Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin. 76. Houston (from Philadelphia), Brandon Brooks, G, Miami (Ohio). 77. N.Y. Jets, Demario Davis, LB, Arkansas State. Oakland Exercised in Supplemental Draft 78. Miami (from San Diego), Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri. The draft was not completed in time for the print edition. Go to ajc.com for the latest picks. an impact for me during this time that I thought it might have been when we first made the [ Jones] pick or in the few days after. I have enjoyed the process of being involved, thinking 55 over in the 20s, or 22 in our specific case [if they hadn’t made the trade], because it really forces an organization to come together.”
Then Dimitroff, bowing to cold reality, said: “At 55, we are a long way down.”
Well, yeah. An NFL active roster includes 53 players. A whole team’s worth of talent would be gone by the Falcons got around to choosing someone, and Dimitroff, try as he might, couldn’t really hype the product.
“It is very difficult to project what is going to be there in and around 45 to 55. That element of uncertainty adds an element of excitement, if you will.”
Then, smiling: “I am trying to make this sound very, very positive for the masses. Suffice it to say we won’t be messing up any draft parties this year.”
A case could be made that the Falcons had trumped their draft by trading for the Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel on Wednesday. No matter who the Falcons took with the 23rd pick of Round 2, he won’t be, figuratively speaking, the biggest new man in shoulder pads when minicamp rolls around.
Not to say that the 23rd pick of Round 2 isn’t be a big man. He’s Peter Konz, who played center at Wisconsin but who was labeled a guard by the Falcons. He’s 6-foot5. He weighs 314 pounds. He missed games in all three of his college seasons: Once with blood clots in each lung, twice with sprained ankles. For those holding memo- ries of Peria Jerry, the Falcons’ No. 1 pick of 2009 who was injured at Ole Miss and whose NFL career hasn’t taken flight, you have your quibble.
On the plus side: Konz is a value pick who could help fill a crying need. He was ranked the draft’s best center. (Sorry, Ben Jones.) ESPN ranked Konz the 41st-best player available; NFL Draft Scout 300 slotted him 37th. Both Pete Prisco and Clark Judge of CBS Sports had him going in Round 1. When you’re sitting at 55, that’s not a bad find. And it’s better still when you recall three failed fourthand-1’s that defined the Falcons’ 2011 season.
The knocks on Konz are that he’s not particularly strong or fast — Konz did say he improved his bench press after a weak showing at the scouting combine — but this was a pick for need over want. Even if Dimitroff didn’t say it publicly, offensive line was always his target for the double-nickle choice. The Falcons, see, have enough skill players; they’d gotten light on the big nasties.
Konz’s name rhymes with Fonz, who was all the rage in Milwaukee, which is likewise in Wisconsin, back in the ’70s. (Kids, ask your parents. Or watch “Nick at Nite.”) An offensive lineman from the Big Ten is never going to cut the same dashing figure as Henry Winkler in his leather jacket, but this wasn’t a nod to style. To have nabbed such a player twothirds of the way through Round 2 could yield a substantial gain.