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This pick could have gone in a lot of different directions. With the releases of OT Tyson Clabo, DE John Abraham and RB Michael Turner, and the uncertainty surrounding the return of TE Tony Gonzalez, there were a lot of holes to fill on a team that is built to win now.
Those questions marks were addressed in pretty rapid fire -- the return of Gonzalez, the signing of former St. Louis workhorse Steven Jackson at RB, and the signing of Osi Umenyiora at DE (although the latter may be a situational player only).
One train of thought for the Atlanta Falcons would be to target the best value (say, if a Tyler Eifert had been sitting here), especially if Gonzalez had not returned. This franchise is desperate to win it all now to legitimize their investment in Matty Ice, and also the significant trade up for Julio Jones in 2011.
With the 30th pick, the Atlanta Falcons select Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
This pick basically boiled down to a pass rushing DE or a CB, and Desmond Trufant represents tremendous value here at #30 AND fills a tremendous need.
With Brent Grimes gone to Miami and Dunta Robinson released and signed in Kansas City, the Falcons are down to just Asante Samuel and a bunch of guys at CB.
Trufant's pro day stats are impressive, and most importantly, align with what you see on tape:
Combine stats (Top Performer *):
- 40-yard dash: (4.38 sec) *
- 225-lb Bench Press: (16 reps)
- Vertical Jump: (37.5 inches)
- Broad Jump: (125.0 inches)
- 20-yard shuttle: (3.85 sec) *
Trufant is likely a plug and play starter from day one, a probably a key piece to watch if the Falcons are eventually able to make it to the Super Bowl next year.
Team | Player | Pos | School | BTSC rep | |
1 | ![]() |
Star Lotulelei | DT | Utah | [Link to pick] |
2 | ![]() |
Dion Jordan | DE/OLB | Oregon | [Link to pick] |
3 | ![]() |
Sharrif Floyd | DT | Florida | [Link to pick] |
4 | ![]() |
Dee Milliner | CB | Alabama | [Link to pick] |
5 | ![]() |
Eric Fisher | OT | Central Michigan | [Link to pick] |
6 | ![]() |
Luke Joeckel | OT | Texas A&M | [Link to pick] |
7 | ![]() |
Lane Johnson | OT | Oklahoma | [Link to pick] |
8 | ![]() |
Barkevious Mingo | OLB | LSU | [Link to pick] |
9 | ![]() |
Chance Warmack | OG | Alabama | [Link to pick] |
10 | ![]() |
Jonathan Cooper | OG | North Carolina | [Link to pick] |
11 | ![]() |
Tavon Austin | WR | West Virginia | [Link to pick] |
12 | ![]() |
Xavier Rhodes | CB | Florida State | [Link to pick] |
13 | ![]() |
Ezekiel Ansah | DE | BYU | [Link to pick] |
14 | ![]() |
Cordarrelle Patterson | WR | Tennessee | [Link to pick] |
15 | ![]() |
Jarvis Jones | OLB | Georgia | [Link to pick] |
16 | ![]() |
Kenny Vaccaro | S | Texas | [Link to pick] |
17 | ![]() |
Tyler Eifert | TE | Notre Dame | [Link to pick] |
18 | ![]() |
Sheldon Richardson | DT | Missouri | [Link to pick] |
19 | ![]() |
Bjoern Werner | DE | Florida State | [Link to pick] |
20 | ![]() |
D.J. Fluker | OT | Alabama | [Link to pick] |
21 | ![]() |
Alec Ogletree | LB | Georgia | [Link to pick] |
22 |
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Eddie Lacy | RB | Alabama | [Link to pick] |
23 | ![]() |
Sylvester Williams | DT | North Carolina | [Link to pick] |
24 | ![]() |
Datone Jones | DE | UCLA | [Link to pick] |
25 |
![]() ![]() |
Geno Smith | QB | West Virginia | [Link to pick] |
26 | ![]() |
Johnathan Hankins | DT | Ohio State | [Link to pick] |
27 | ![]() |
Arthur Brown | LB | Kansas State | [Link to pick] |
28 | ![]() |
Matt Elam | S | Florida | [Link to pick] |
29 | ![]() |
Keenan Allen | WR | California | [Link to pick] |
30 | ![]() |
Desmond Trufant | CB | Washington | MDR21 |
31 | ![]() |
afbassi | |||
32 | ![]() |
Mr MaLoR |