Offseason Additions 2011: Part 2 Defensive End

[FullMetalFalcon23]

Defensive End has been a position of desire for many years in Atlanta, (Post-Kerney) we have not had much success growing our own, and aside from Abe have not acquired a definitive defensive end in Free Agency. With Abe only likely to have 1 - 2 good years left the Falcons need to aggressively address this position over the next few years.

Being realistic we cannot go down the project route again; Kroy Biermann is a good player who may emerge next year but we can not work on possibilities. Our FO assesses talent 2 or so years ahead of the incoming draft class, thankfully that means that long term due diligence would have been conducted on this draft class e.g. I don't think we made the aggressive move to move up and take an End last year as the Ends in this class project better for our needs (more 4-3 ends IMO) and there are more of them projected as 1st round talent.

2010 1st Round Ends
Tyson Alualu DE/DT - Brandon Graham - Derrick Morgan - Jason Pierre Paul - Jerry Hughes

Of these 5 ends, 1 was projected mainly as a tackle, 1 was a 1 year freak athlete who would have been IMO a JA98 type pick (buying potential rather than product) 1 was projected as more a Pass Rushing LB in a 3/4 and only 2 were prospects who I could have seriously seen the Falcons FO pulling the trigger on had they been on the board. Considering we had nothing to package to move up higher it would not have made sense to move up, when we were in position to take the best OLB (a position of equal need at the time) in the draft.

2011 Projected 1st Round Ends according to CBS 18/1/2011

Da'Quan Bowers - Robert Quinn Adrian Clayborn - Ryan Kerrigan - Cameron Heyward - J.J. Watt - Cameron Jordan

Obviously stocks of players can rise and fall, but in this years class there are far more 4 - 3 style ends who are likely to attract the Falcons attention. The last 3 of the 7 looking at the needs of teams picking ahead of us may possibly be on the board when we get to pick and depending on their combine performance we could choose to stick where we are unless a run on the Ends takes place.

On the other hand there are some teams who don't need an End in the first round and and may be in a position to trade down for more picks and should the Falcons really want to go after one of those top ends I do think our FO have the balls to go after them.

Considering the potential in this years draft class, including some NFL ready players who are already more talented than any player not named Abraham in our DEnd rotation I personally believe that we will target this position through the draft rather than Free Agency. My reasoning? Whilst yes there is a learning curve for NFL DEnds, and the productivity of these players early is often a crap shoot, this years valuable FA Ends are either likely to be locked back up by their teams, (e.g.Charles Johnson), they are too long in the tooth to be considered a sensible acquisition for us (e.g. Shaun Ellis) and they have had season ending injuries on too many occasions to be considered as a priority free agent target (e.g. Mathias Kiwanuka), as we really need consistency and durability not a player we spend high end money on only for them to sit out half the season.

These are the top Ends in FA according to The Top Ends in FA via Football's Future

2011 NFL Free Agent Defensive Linemen
By: Roshan Bhagat
Defensive Ends:

Cullen Jenkins (GB) – Jenkins is a scheme-diverse linemen who consistently plays with outstanding leverage. He’s a terrific pass rusher who can get penetration on tackles and guards en route to the quarterback. The Packers have a strong rotation and while they will still pursue him, they may not be willing to pay him what it takes to keep him in Green Bay. If he hits the market, his only concern is that he’s somewhat injury-prone, but should otherwise be a disruptive lineman on any team.

Mathias Kiwanuka (NYG) – Kiwanuka is an explosive pass rusher who over the years has gotten lost amidst the talented Giants front 7. He’s an explosive pass rusher who was having a productive year before a herniated disc in his neck sidelined him for much of the season. The Giants have expressed interest in bringing him back, but with playing time in question, it will be interesting to see what Kiwanuka decides.


Charles Johnson (CAR) – Julius who? The Panthers replaced Peppers with 2007 3rd round pick, who quietly reached double digit sacks and surpassed Peppers’ sack total this year. The Panthers hope they can get most of the production with half the cost in Charles Johnson. Re-signing Johnson is right up there with Ryan Kalil in the team’s no-brainer moves this offseason.

Ray Edwards (MIN) – Edwards came very quietly out of the gates recording only 1.5 sacks in his first 7 games. He’s since picked up the slack, but the Vikings have a lot of faith in their team’s ability to groom defensive line prospects, such as Brian Robison, who is also a free agent. Re-signing Edwards probably won’t be at the top of the team’s priority list and his return to Minnesota will depend upon Edwards’ contract expectations.

Jason Babin (TEN) – Babin has finally put together a season worthy of his 1st round draft status many years ago. He’s a hard-working end with a strong motor and has only 1 game this season without a sack or stuff. Given the long list of teams where he hasn’t succeeded, the Titans should be the heavy favorites to re-sign Babin.

Shaun Ellis (NYJ) – Ellis has been a key component of the Jets’ defense for many years now, but this may be his final season there. The team has plenty of free agents, or soon-to-be free agents that will need to be addressed to keep the core components of the team intact. Ellis is still an adequate 5-technique and may have moderate interest this offseason.

Other Notable Free Agents:

Kenny Iwebema (ARZ)
Bryan Robinson (ARZ)
Jayme Mitchell (CLE)
Robaire Smith (CLE)
Stephen Bowen (DAL)
Jason Hatcher (DAL)
Marcus Spears (DAL)
Cliff Avril (DET)
Turk McBride (DET)
Mark Anderson (HOU)
Wallace Gilberry (KC)
Shaun Smith (KC)
Tony McDaniel (MIA)
Brian Robison (MIN)
Anthony Hargrove (NO)
Jimmy Wilkerson (NO)
Dave Tollefson (NYG)
Victor Abiamiri (PHI)
Nick Eason (PIT)
Chris Hoke (PIT)
Jacques Cesaire (SD)
Travis Johnson (SD)
Ray McDonald (SF)
CJ Ah You (STL)
Tim Crowder (TB)
Greg White (TB)
Dave Ball (TEN)
Kedric Golston (WAS)

I consider the 2 priority positions for free agent/draft replenishment to be the DE position and WRs (see part 1). For DEs, I think right now we are one away whilst Abe is still here from having the sort of DE combo we have been wishing for quite some time. Getting a reliable 3 down strong DE presence could even add time on to how long Abe continues to play if we can afford for him to stay with us. At the moment leaving him to do it on his own and not bringing in someone who we can threaten teams with and force them to equally consider double teaming the opposite player is gonna see Abe gone very soon. Even the predator needs help and rest.



If Atlanta want to come back in 2011 they need to present threats to opposing O's and D's that start to give them mismatch advantages, we are not currently winning many battles based on personnel alone, and that definitely needs to improve.

At the time of writing this my opinion is we take one receiver in FA, draft DE first round should the right person be there/ choose to go after them by trading up

[MalteseFalcon1994]

Great post because your going to make my draft scouting much easier. I don't want to open the links on my blackberry though so I don't have a pick yet. All I know is for that position I just want to get a freak athlete with good size

[FullMetalFalcon23]

I think Kerrigan or Heyward might be the guy if we stay at 27 or move up a few spots. They are both 1 - 2 round projections. So we may not need to move up unless a run comes in. I wouldn't feel comfortable with us moving down if those ends were still on the board based on the teams picking after us.

[Swift Is a Die Hard]

I would def take a shot at Mathias Kiwanuka even though he coming off a injury he is risk/reward as long as we dont go crazy with his contract . We offer him a nice 3 year deal with a shit load of incentives to make it even sweeter .


Also I really dont see us drafting a DE 1st round early cause that means TD will admit on giving up on Bierman and Sidbury .............

[FullMetalFalcon23]

(01-19-2011 11:43 AM)Swift Is a Die Hard Wrote:  I would def take a shot at Mathias Kiwanuka even though he coming off a injury he is risk/reward as long as we dont go crazy with his contract . We offer him a nice 3 year deal with a shit load of incentives to make it even sweeter .


Also I really dont see us drafting a DE 1st round early cause that means TD will admit on giving up on Bierman and Sidbury .............

I think he needs to consider giving them more time. I mean Sid can't even get active, Kroy perhaps needs to go back to situational reps to figure things out. We can't wait for them. I don't think TD is that proud/stubborn to ignore a DE better than the ones he has if they are on the board. If he did do that I'll admit I'd be concerned because now is a very good opportunity to get a first round quality end without paying too much. We aren't going to be paying anymore than we paid for Spoon.

I guess if it was incentive based I could get down with taking MK. That would at least allow us to tie up the 1st round pick in another receiver or perhaps one of the pass rushing LB's... but yopu don't spend 1st round money on a one trick pony.