The Atlanta Falcons found themselves in a unique position on draft day in 2009. They were a pretty solid team, had just completed the acquisition of TE Tony Gonzales, and the only significant needs were all on the defensive side of the ball.
The Falcons needed an OLB to help replace 2008 starters Michael Boley, and Keith Brooking who both let in free agency. They also had a need at safety since Lawyer Malloy was not re-signed, and they had needs at CB losing their best corner from 2008 on the free agent market.
Picking 24th in the first round the many of the top tier LB had already been selected. Many had the Falcons taking a long look at Larry English from Northern Illinois, but he had been scooped up by San Diego at 16.
Since the third rated defensive tackle Peria Jerry was still on the board, they took him with the 24th overall pick. Jerry was rated as the best pass rusher in this draft, and the Falcons are counting on him to fortify the interior of their D Line.
Since Jerry’s rookie season was cut short due to injury, it is somewhat difficult to assign the team a grade for this pick. He is a very talented young man, and should be able to prove that in years to come. Initial grade is a B+.
In the second round, the Falcons had the 55th overall pick. With that pick they addressed their need at safety taking William Moore from Missouri. Moore is big hitter who may be valuable to the team in many different ways.
While Moore was the 7th rated Safety in this draft, the Falcons made him the fifth Safety drafted. Sporting News had Moore rated as the best Safety in run defense, and praised him for being aggressive against the run. With that in mind we must assign a grade of A to this pick.
The Falcons further addressed their secondary in the later rounds, and looked to add depth to both their offensive and defensive lines. With all that being said let us look at the grade for the 2009 Falcons draft:
Round One- B+
Round Two- A
Talent- A-
Need B+
Average- A-
And now a more complete look at the 2009 Atlanta Falcons draft:
Round 1- 24th overall DT Peria Jerry Ole Miss
Round 2- 55th overall S William Moore Missouri
Round 3- 90th overall CB Chris Owens San Jose State
Round 4- 125th overall DE Lawrence Sidbury
Round 5- 138th overall CB William Middleton CB Furman
Round 5- 156th overall OT Garrett Reynolds North Carolina
Round 6- 176th overall ILB Spencer Adkins Miami
Round7- 210th overall DT Vance Walker Georgia Tech
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