 Welcome to a special edition of the Falcons audible presented by AT&T. This is a special initial reaction to the Atlanta Falcons first round selection in the 2022 draft. I'm Derek Rackley. I'm joined by Dave Archer. DJ Shockley will not be joining us tonight. He's tied up with his other draft responsibilities, but we didn't want to let any time go by without reacting to Atlanta's first round selection, which is wide receiver Drake London out of USC. So Dave Archer, I'm going to turn it right over to you. I want to get your initial reaction when you heard his name called by the commissioner and how you feel like he immediately fits into this Falcons offense. Yeah, Rick. I think probably initially like a lot of Falcon fans. I was a little bit surprised. Not overly surprised. I knew this was a need position. The Falcons a little bit needy. We talked about that in our last edition of Falcons audible that we were a little bit needy in a lot of positions and certainly wide receiver was one, especially in light of the Calvin Ridley information that we got after the season was over with the cow wouldn't be available for the 2022 season. But I think a lot of us had our eyes cast on that defensive side of football, maybe one of those edge rushers, but it became kind of clear as the draft started to get to eight that maybe the top three guys weren't going to be there. The top two corners went three and four off the board as well. And you thought that that might be another one of the need spots. So then receiver came became a real possibility. Now Drake London. When I began to study Drake London after the pick, I knew about him knew who he was that type of stuff rack. You kind of get it. Get it. You understand why because Jameson Williams, Chris Alave and Garrett Wilson are all kind of the same type of guy. Drake London's a different dude. He doesn't have the great speed. Albeit he can get down the field. He had a lot of vertical catches this year prior to his injury, but he is a big dude that wins every 50-50 ball. And when you begin to think about how that pairs up with a six foot six tight end that's got a seven foot wingspan. All of a sudden he starts to come into picture very clearly in the red zone on third down extending drives. This guy makes a ton of sense and I got more and more excited as it continued to think about how the matchups go and how how he equates to what the team needs. And this is a guy that can move the chain score down the red zone. And like I said, he's not going to lose any 50-50 shots rack. Yeah, absolutely. Coming in just shy at six foot fours got those long arms and you mentioned the length not only in the red zone, but he can make those contested catches in the middle of the field as well. And he did it many a times throughout his career at USC showing a lot of clips that I've seen throughout this week where he's making these one-handed grabs to not only save the quarterback, keep drives going, pick up first downs and then ultimately punch in the ball into the end zone once he gets down into the red zone. And one of his initial quotes that he said after he was drafted by the Falcons in teaming up with Kyle Pitts, Dave, so I want to ask you about that. He said, we're going to be like the twin towers. How do you feel like that matchup that duo is going to be on the field when you got two really long receivers? Because as we know, Kyle Pitts is almost like a receiver that are going to be out there for Marcus Mariota. Well, let's face it. Let's look let's try to find a team that would be similar to that. Oh, you don't have to go very far. You go to Tampa and you find be fine. Gronkowski at tight end and you find Mike Evans at the wide receiver spot. Those guys got a lot of touchdowns over the last couple of seasons with with that guy throwing the football to him. So that's what the size does matter. Okay. Matters on the offensive defensive lines and it matters that wide receiver and it tied in and let's face it. You now have you have a jump ball scenario on both sides of the field. You can put a six foot six wide receiver in Kyle Pitts out one side who has a seven foot wingspan and you just drafted a six four wide receiver that he commands the 5050 ball every highlight you see is him climbing the ladder beating a guy out for a ball and making a catch a guy that had over a thousand yards receiving in what just eight games rack before he got injured. He'd already put seven or eight touchdowns on the board. This is a highly effective dude. I know he doesn't necessarily have that flashy Jameson Williams top-end speed or the top-end speed that you saw from Garrett Wilson, but I'll remind you and I know you know this different receiver than those guys those guys with the speed guys got a got a feel of fine space. This guy's got to create a create his own space. So a clever pick here. I was surprised. No question about it, but I don't think that it necessarily hinders you from being able to still get where you want to get in the second and third round. Yeah, and Dave, you kind of talked about you could put them on opposite sides of each other. How about putting them on the same side of each other than making a defense declare who they're going to who they're going to try to slow down. Are they going to double up on Kyle Pitts and leave Drake London in man-to-man coverage or are they going to try to play with a safety safety over the top and those guys just have to beat somebody over the top of them at the line of scrimmage. So definitely gives Arthur Smith some options as the play caller offensively and you know, we talk about Drake London. He was the guy in this draft arch that kind of started the run on wide receivers. The first time six wide receivers were drafted in the top 20 in the common draft era and it all started with Drake London at number eight for the Atlanta Falcons. So you could go around league circles all you want and say that Garrett Wilson was the best receiver. Jameson Williams when he's healthy is the best receiver. It all matters on what each specific team feels like is the best fit and obviously Terry Fontenau and Arthur Smith thought that Drake London was the best fit for the Atlanta Falcons organization. So Dave, let me ask you this question. Let's let's talk about Drake London and his addition with Kyle Pitts and Cordero Patterson for next season. But then how does this selection end up kind of setting Atlanta up for day two, which is going to be rounds two and three. Well, you knew you were going to have to go wide receiver sometime, right? So there was some that thought, OK, maybe you get maybe if the edge rushers fall to you, which they didn't, you could go that route in the first round and then wide receivers would be available in the second round. Addressers got came off the board. At least the three you coveted. I think the three that they liked were gone. And by the way, a lot of people talk about Jermaine Johnson. OK, why do you just say Jermaine Johnson and eight Jermaine Johnson didn't come off the board till like what 25. So only team didn't have him rated as high as a lot of these pundits had him rated. Not that I'm not trying to throw Jermaine Johnson under the bus and he'll be an excellent player. I'm sure in this in the in his career, but Drake London was high much highly rated and that's that kind of falls suit here with what Terry Fontenau said. This was the highest rated guy on our board and he might have been higher rated than some of the guys that went in the first seven picks as it turns out. But as far as setting up, there's guys rack in this second round and they change body sizes a little bit now. All of a sudden the three four linebacker edge rusher comes into play. I'll give you a couple of names. Arnold and the key the kid out of Penn State transfer from pimple kid that had what 10 sacks this year for Penn State outstanding player off the edge, Nick Bonito outside linebacker type that can play in a lot of space, but also rushes the passer had 17 sacks in the last two seasons at Oklahoma and here's one completely out of nowhere and we talked about him on the last our last falcons audible the Angelo Malone Western Kentucky 64 to 40 ran for six in the combine. He has 32 and a half career sacks 59 tackles for loss. There's names still on this board where Atlantic can address some edge stuff if they want to and there's a couple of really good corners still in the board as well. Yeah, you talk about the the first round guys. Those are the ones that you feel like or the general population feels like Dave that are kind of the can't miss because they've got everything going for them. They've got the size they've got the speed they've got the athleticism they got the production on the field and for the most part they've done it against legit competition. So now once you get into the second and third round maybe you get like you mentioned the Western Kentucky guy. Maybe he didn't end up facing the best competition, but the kids just a freak athlete or you might get somebody that played at a big school, but he's undersized NFL circles, but that doesn't necessarily mean he can't be a star. Those are the type of players that Atlanta is looking to hit on in rounds 2 and 3. Absolutely. Iraq and I think that what it does is it tells you that they were very comfortable with the fact that those players are going to be here. If you don't you don't take Drake London. OK, at number 8 if you don't feel like you're necessarily going to have the the the card stacked up for you at the back in the second and third round for picks now in the next two rounds for Atlanta. This is going to be a very important day tomorrow starts at 7 Eastern with the draft and Atlanta is going to be involved very early in that first what hour so rack you're going to get it. They got what at 42 of the first pick and they if there's a guy maybe a covet that fell member. There's some there's some guys that we know name brand guys that are there available in the second round that maybe should have gotten in the first round that Atlanta could could with the draft capital and you talked about this last time we get together. There's enough draft capital. If you decide there's a guy there that's a difference maker you can pay a couple of picks together and go get him. Yeah that not necessarily the New York Jets of this year in the first round as they maneuvered all over the draft board to end up making 3 selections in the first round but you're right. It sets up potentially again and obviously this is all up to Terry font known his staff but maybe they move around as they've got 2 second round picks sitting at number 43 and 58 and then to third round picks 74 and 82 could potentially get packaged in if there was somebody that Terry font know felt like he needed to move up and get earlier on in the second round. He's got the ability to do that without necessarily trading away the farm. Make that happen so again I still think it arch it's going to be best player available on that draft board but we talked about it earlier this week. The needs are still there past rusher corner offensive line help if you could just look into your crystal ball arch and one of these 2 second round selections what direction do you think Atlanta goes. Well, I would probably lean towards whoever the top rated either corner or edge player whether it be an outside backer and or a and or a defensive event. There's still some guys on the board boy in my face still out there Drake Jackson another USC player highly thought of dick but you know I mentioned Arnold have a cakey there are a lot of names still available in that realm and let's let's face it you're not out of the you're not out of the area where you you might not take a lot you could take a linebacker or something like that a linebacker that could step in there and play we got some blitzing linebackers that are still on the board. So I think there's a lot of draft capital still available a lot of draft people still available or Atlantic and make some just make some make some a and have some guys make plays for. This episode in part brought to you by the Home Depot everything you need for your next home improvement project is just a tap away on the Home Depot app the Home Depot app digital toolbox gives you access to how to guides project calculators and image search. So you'll know exactly what you need to pick up with the tap of the finger you can rent and reserve the right tools for the job also browse through millions of items from top brands that you can have delivered right to your door whatever your project find exactly what you need with the Home Depot app download the Home Depot app today. So we talk about four selections setting up for the Friday session for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL draft to see if they can add a couple of players that are going to help out the roster potentially immediately again just going back to recap the first selection for Atlanta in the first round Atlanta stays pat at number eight they do not trade down they do not add another pick and they decide to take who they felt was the best wide receiver in this draft as Drake London was the first wide receiver in the 22 draft to come off the board and he is now in Atlanta Falcon he will pair with Kyle Pitts along with Cora Darrell Patterson and the rest of this roster to bring a couple of downfield options and potentially another player that can help Atlanta punch the ball into the end zone a definite position of need after the issue with Calvin Ridley and then Russell Gage leaving in free agency so Atlanta ends up addressing one of its needs and so Dave let's just kind of recap Drake London one more time in in do you feel like I mean this is obviously kind of a very easy question to answer but is he day one starter impacts this offense and and do you think he's a guy that obviously you get a couple pieces around him maybe he gets to the eight to ten touchdowns in his first season as a Falcon because he's not necessarily going to have to beat anybody out they're bringing him here to be a difference maker right away. He starts as soon as you step him on the field and I here are my notes. I go down about Drake London well well before the draft as I prepared. I got Drake London it is your ranking the the receivers he was number two on my list not in any there's necessarily any reason just had him at number two six four two nineteen at USC grown man size and strength great short area quickness and shake excellent ball skills body control huge catch radius. He looks like a basketball player playing outside on the outside eighty eight catches a thousand eighty four yards and seven touchdowns in his seven games or eight games that he played there that's that's all positive and so that's what you're going to have attacking the football for you. He's a day one starter. Yeah and I think I saw something Dave that said when he was in high school his last year average twenty nine points per game on the hardwood in about twelve rebounds. So they're not really going to translate that twenty nine points but if he can find a way to box somebody out and get a twelve rebounds as a wide receiver out there putting his body in between the defense and the football that was something that can definitely carry over onto the football field. I could see this guy being a hundred catch a year guy because he's going to be able to catch the medium range stuff. He's going to be able to go into the nasty areas the traffic areas catch balls extend drives and when you get in the red zone he's a matchup problem because of his size. I love what he said when he was interviewed about coming to Atlanta. They said he said they said what did you like about the Atlanta pickings as I knew I was going to Atlanta go how did you know he goes well I just felt good about my conversations with him. And so what do you like about Atlanta says I love the way they coach you there. They bring you along. They're going in the right direction. Those were his words. I love that. I love that he recognized the coaching here and what he was going to get that was going to make him as good a player as you could possibly be. Yeah. And he's definitely going to have to get his his face into the playbook and his eyes on the film because obviously the coverage the corners the defense backs the coverage the coaching in the NFL is going to step up from the college game. So he's going to have to pick up those nuances really quickly. It's probably going to have some mistakes early on in the season. It's probably going to be a little bit of a growing process until he kind of figures out how do I get off the line of scrimmage in the NFL. How do I create separation. How do I use my hands without being called for penalties. How do I end up using my elbows to create a little bit of space all the little nuances maybe that if you had a six seven eight year veteran can kind of teach you a little bit quicker. He's probably going to have to learn that prop that process by baptism early on in his career. But as you mentioned, Dave, he's got the athleticism. He's got the range the length to make all that happen. Now they just need a couple more pieces around him to to make all that happen. Get it get the football in his hands and see if he and Kyle Pitts can make some some special things happen offensively for the Atlanta Falcons. So that'll wrap things up again just myself and Dave Archer tonight DJ Shockley hopefully will be joining later on but he's tied up with draft coverage with his other responsibilities. But the newest member of the Atlanta Falcons is wide receiver Drake London out of USC as he is drafted eighth overall by Terry font no Arthur Smith and the rest of the Atlanta Falcons organization. He will be an immediate starter for them and hopefully somebody that will make an impact from game one. That's going to wrap things up here in our special edition of the NFL Draft recapping the first round for the Atlanta Falcons as we mentioned a start rounds two and three with four selections but as we know that could be fluid as things move on. Dave, thanks so much for joining us. I know you've done plenty of research looking into all of these prospects and you will be quite the the expert for us moving forward man have a great rest of the night enjoy the rest of the draft and hopefully we will be talking to you soon about the next members of the Atlanta Falcons. Brackle look forward to it's always good to be with you don't forget Falcon fans don't be discouraged now you got a number of picks left and there's still some Christmas packages to open up in two more. Yeah, Christmas in April is always a great thing that'll do it here for a special edition of the Falcons audible presented by AT&T. I'm Derek Rackley joined by Dave Archer to make sure you stay tuned to all of the Falcons coverage as they continue through this May 22 NFL draft. Thanks so much for joining us everybody and enjoy the rest of the draft.