In-Depth Look at Atlanta's Most Intriguing Selection, DT Grady Jarrett

Some guys just know how to play football. They don't sugarcoat it. They don't pretty it up. They just go out there, give it their all and become long-time staples for their teams. These gentlemen last a long time in the NFL because of their great work ethic and fit for the need there.

Grady Jarrett is that player from the Falcons draft class of 2015. He's also the most intriguing prospect because of a combination of his background, what happened to him the day before he got drafted and how his on-field play fits right in with new head coach Dan Quinn's scheme.

Then there's also how Jarrett played defensive tackle next to Vic Beasley for four years and was one of the flashes on film when watching Beasley's film that also stood out. The Falcons have a good one here in Jarrett and could have their franchise one-gapping defensive tackle to team with Ra'Shede Hageman.

Falcons Football is Grady Jarrett's Blood

Normally, playing in the NFL is a trail blazed for a particular family. It's a road less traveled, if you will. But when it comes to Grady Jarrett, he's not the first or even second player in his family to make it to the NFL—he's the third. He's not even the first Atlanta Falcon in his own family. 

His father, Jessie Tuggle is in the Falcons Ring of Honor as one of the best Falcons to ever play the game of football and should be mentioned as a Hall of Fame linebacker. His older brother is Texans linebacker Justin Tuggle. So you could say that Jarrett was born to be a Falcon.

Add in a mentorship from his "Uncle Ray"—Ravens legend and future Hall of Fame Linebacker Ray Lewis, and the Falcons new defensive tackle has had a ton of excellent mentors to learn from throughout his life. Jarrett noted the impact that Lewis and Tuggle had on him in an interview with TigerNet.com's David Hood:

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“Ray Lewis has been with me since I was five years old,” Jarrett said. “He isn’t my biological uncle, but he has always been there for me. My father and my uncle have definitely had an impact on me. Just looking up to players like that helped me with my motivation and setting goals, because I want to be a great player like they were. They definitely played a role in my life, and just in getting to see how they work.”

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And because of the impact that Lewis and Tuggle have had on his life, the Falcons will get someone who knows exactly what it will take to succeed in the NFL. And it's not just bloodlines that will get Jarrett through the league, but a work ethic that he's picked up from his pair of Hall of Fame-caliber father figures.

On top of that, Tuggle was standing next to the woman who announced the Falcons selection of Jarrett during the draft. As you can see in this video, Tuggle was ecstatic to see his son drafted by the team that he played for during the late 1980s and all throughout the 1990s. 

RIC FELD/Associated Press

Hardship Comes in the Form of a Fire

Things weren't all hunky-dory for Jessie Tuggle and Grady Jarrett and the rest of their family during draft weekend. Jarrett's mother's house caught on fire during the draft party that he was holding during the draft's second night. His entire family that was there had to evacuate, and Jarrett lost almost everything.

After Falcons owner and CEO Arthur Blank found out about Jarrett's house catching fire the night before the Falcons selected him, he sent aides to go and help the newest Falcon out of Conyers, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN. They were tasked to bring him Falcons apparel to help the post-fire transition.

In what was supposed to be the best day of his life, Jarrett suffered arguably the greatest hardship in his life. But in hardship, people see who is really there for them. And Jarrett doesn't just have his own family, he has the entire Falcons organization to help him out.

This also says a lot about how Blank views his players. They aren't just people he's paying to play football for him at a high level. They are human beings that need assistance during the hard times in their life. The only thing the Falcons could do to help Jarrett even more would be to sign him as quick as possible.

Penetration and Pluggin Against the Run

Grady Jarrett is a great run defender who can help the Falcons interior run defense more than the signings of Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson were intended to do before the 2014 season. Jarrett can lock up an offensive linemen and plug the hole by walking him down the line.

In the example above, you can see just that happening. He walks the offensive lineman down to where the running back is supposed to go and because of it, he stuffs a run on the other side of the field. The run was stuffed even though Jarrett was engaged to the guard because of an underneath dip.

Another way that Jarrett affects the run is by pure penetration. On the above clip, you can see Jarrett lined up in the 1-technique on the strong side of the play and his penetration forced the run to go wider and set up an open lane for his linebacker to attack the ball-carrier in.

The Falcons should be able to use him effectively to attack the gap that he lines up in. As a two-gap defender, Jarrett would have trouble. The Falcons will likely run a defense that varies the gap responsibilities as shown here because it's what Dan Quinn ran in Seattle:

Chris Brown, SmartFootball and ESPN's Grantland

Jarrett's best role would be a 3-technique defensive tackle in the run game and against he pass, he's best as a 1-technique nose tackle pass-rusher. Jarrett is a great fit for the Falcons and should help their run defense for both the long and short term.

Chris Brown, SmartFootball and ESPN's Grantland

Opening Up Others in Pass Rush

As good of a run defender Grady Jarrett is as a 3-technique, his true value will come as a pass-rusher. He plays with very active hands and understands how to take his excellent get-off shown in the run game to put guards and centers on skates to get to the quarterback quickly.

In the vine above, you can see how Jarrett uses his leverage to attack a double team to get the sack. Using his burst off the ball, Jarrett fires off so hard so that the Seminoles' center could get to him on the double team. There's also great hand usage that you can see above.  

Right off the snap, you see him swim to the right and toss the center to the side like a rag doll in less than a second. Then he hits the left guard so hard right in the chest that a rip to the left to take down Jameis Winston right as Winston tries to step up in the pocket.

As you can see in the above vine, he does the same exact thing to a right guard at the Senior Bowl. The biggest difference in the two plays is the technique that Jarrett was playing. On the first play, he was playing a 1-technique. But on the second play, he plays a 3-technique.

For a player to be effective as an NFL player, he needs to be effective in multiple roles. And Jarrett does a great job when he's allowed to penetrate against the pass. Jarrett's get-off makes him one of the best at that in the entire draft.

For a player that pops off the film as much as Jarrett does, it's kind of shocking that he was even there for the Falcons to trade up for. Even though Atlanta gave away their sixth-round pick to secure Jarrett, it was a brilliant trade, and Atlanta was wise to do it.

By bringing in Vic Beasley, Jarrett, and Ra'Shede Hageman over the past two drafts to enhance the defense line, the Falcons might have found three perfect starters for Dan Quinn's defense. Jarrett could very well be that next Brandon Mebane. And if he is, Falcons fans will have a new fan favorite.

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.