Atlanta Falcons Draft, Part 2: DE Jamaal Anderson Heads Solid Class

By selecting defensive end Jamaal Anderson and a host of other talented players, the Atlanta Falcons hope to improve upon a mediocre 2006 season. 

 

Here, the Bleacher Report's Lee Wilson breaks down which Atlanta picks will have an immediate impact—and which picks will need some work before they can contribute.

 

In part two, Wilson evaluates Atlanta's final six draft picks.

 

Round Four: Martrez Milner, TE, Georgia

This was an interesting pick for the Falcons, but may turn out to be a pretty good one. Milner will not be relied on to catch passes on a consistent basis. His biggest role will be to block—and unlike catching, blocking is one of the burly tight end's bright spots.

Having said that, if Milner shows that he can catch the ball, one of the backup tight ends (Eric Beverly and Dwayne Blakely) could be in trouble.

Round Six:

1) Trey Lewis, DT, Washburn

This pick became much more important several days after the draft when Rod Coleman injured his quadriceps—he'll be out three to five months. Lewis, a big run-stuffer, will find a decent amount of work this year if he proves he can handle it.

With the Falcons' desperate need for run-stoppers and their crumbling relationship with Grady Jackson, Lewis could be an essential piece of the puzzle in 2007.

 

 

2) David Irons, CB, Auburn

 

This was a pick meant to aid special teams for Atlanta. Irons, brother of running back Kenny, will likely dive right in this year—and if he can stay healthy, is likely get in on some nickel packages for the Dirty Birds.

 

Irons has already had multiple knee surgeries however and will have to prove himself healthy.

 

 

3) Doug Datish, C, Ohio State
 

This might be the most underrated pick in the draft for the Falcons. The center out of The Ohio State University did not allow a sack all of last season.

 

The only downside for him is that he will definitely have to get bigger in order to have the same success at the NFL level.

 

 

4) Daren Stone, S, Maine

Stone is another athletic and solid pickup for the Falcons. He is a reliable tackler who is not afraid to dish out punishing hits to players that come his way. He even got looked at as a potential outside linebacker from NFL teams in a Cover-2 system.

Stone will most likely see the majority of his action on special teams—unless Jimmy Williams proves that he cannot handle the safety duties opposite of Lawyer Milloy. Odds are that Stone will get a long look there.

 

Round Seven: Jason Snelling, RB, Virginia

Everyone knows that Petrino likes a big, powerful runner to shoot up the gut. That was evident with the Falcons' final selection of UVA's Jason Snelling.

Snelling is a powerful runner, but most people don't know what to expect from him. With Warrck Dunn's career coming to a close, it will be interesting to see just what Petrino will do with Snelling and speed demon Jarious Norwood.

Either way, things are looking up for the Falcons.

As far as an actual grade goes: I give the Falcons a B+. They didn't make any big splashes and went after what they needed.

This could be a very interesting start to Petrino's time in Atlanta.