Vic Beasley to Atlanta Falcons: Full Draft Pick Breakdown

The Atlanta Falcons just selected the best possible player they could have in the draft. Vic Beasley will be the best Falcons pass-rusher since they cut John Abraham following the 2012 season. Beasley is from Clemson and grew up in the Atlanta area.

He had 33 career sacks for the Tigers and fits exactly what new Falcons head coach Dan Quinn wants in his "Leo" defensive end position. Off the field, Beasley is easily going to fit in the Falcons locker room very well since he actually wants to be in Atlanta and is just a high-character player.

On the field

Beasley is the best pure pass-rusher in the 2015 NFL draft. Considering the Falcons had a horrible pass rush, he's going to be a great fit for the Falcons' biggest need at pure pass-rusher. Atlanta needs to use Beasley as the Leo in the defense to get the most out of him.

At Leo, Beasley will be an instant impact player. He'll be allowed to pin his ears back and attack the quarterback on passing plays. He can bend the edge better than almost any player in the draft. He's also one of the most athletic players to play the position in a long time.

Name	Vic Beasley	Khalil Mack	Von Miller	Bruce Irvin	Cliff Avril
Height	6'3"	6'2-5/8"	6'2-5/8"	6'3"	6'2-7/8"
Weight	246	251	246	245	253
Arms	32-1/2"	33-1/4"	33-1/2"	33-3/8"	33-3/4"
Hands	9-3/8"	10-1/4"	9-1/4"	9-5/8"	8-1/2"
40 Yard Dash	4.53 s	4.65 s	4.42 s	4.50 s	4.51 s
10 Yard Split	1.59 s	1.56 s	1.57 s	1.58 s	1.51 s
Bench Reps	35	23	21	23	27
Short Shuttle	4.15 s	4.18 s	4.06 s	4.03 s	4.31 s
3-Cone	6.91 s	7.08 s	6.70 s	6.70 s	6.90 s
Vertical	41.0"	40.0"	37.0"	33.5"	36.5"
Broad	10'10"	10'8"	10'6"	10'3"	9'9"
SPD Score	148.88	146.15	162.90	159.52	156.15
AGI Score	134.88	135.92	144.00	143.57	140.85
EXP Score	253.74	257.44	231.90	207.78	244.62
EXP in HP	0.96112	0.97514	0.87840	0.78706	0.92660
INDEX	160	160.41	161.74	154.05	161.89

Athletically, he compares very favorably to Cliff Avril, Khalil Mack, Von Miller and Bruce Irvin. All of these players will play similar roles to Beasley within their own defenses. And one of them should stand out because Avril was Quinn's Leo while he was in Seattle.

They'll also put a massive monster in Ra'Shede Hageman next to him on base downs to help him with his run fits. By having Beasley just cover the outside lane on the weak side of the defense, he'll be allowed to set the edge and make plays on the ball-carrier.

There are no fits in the draft better than Beasley for the Falcons' Leo defensive end role. Atlanta just got a lot better with this pick. Teams will scheme against the combination of Hageman and Beasley in pass protection and should leave Babineaux and others free to get some clean-up sacks too.

Off the Field

Vic Beasley was a captain for the Tigers for a couple of games during his time at Clemson. He wasn't arrested or suspended at Clemson either. He's a leader within the locker room for the Tigers and should find a similar role in the Falcons locker room.

Beasley is a known hard worker and should be one of the faces of the defense with Desmond Trufant, Ra'Shede Hageman and Brooks Reed as the ideal fits for the Quinn-era defense. Atlanta couldn't have done better here on or off the field.

Why Vic Beasley instead of Bud Dupree or Todd Gurley?

Vic Beasley is just a better football player than both Bud Dupree and Todd Gurley are. The Falcons were never going to take a running back in the top 10 coming off a torn ACL for a scheme that has shown the ability to plug in quite a few different running backs and still be successful.

And the reason why Beasley went over Bud Dupree is because he's just a better player. Dupree is a ridiculous athlete, but he's extremely raw and doesn't have the run defense or pass-rush ability needed to start right away as a defensive end for the Falcons.

Atlanta took the player that's the most polished, least injured and best fit for their scheme. Beasley's arguably the best player in the draft and when you can get that best player in the draft, you have to take him. Atlanta couldn't have done better here.

For more information on Vic Beasley, check out Jon Ledyard's scouting report on him. You can also check out my 2015 potential Falcons draft pick profile on him.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats, ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He's also a Draft Analyst for Pro Football Spot.