ESPN ranks Falcons among top teams in ‘talent under 25’

The Atlanta Falcons have invested heavily in their young offensive weapons, and it’s paid off. At least as far as ESPN’s rankings, which are based on the talent of each team’s players under the age of 25, go.

If these rankings are to be believed, the future looks bright for Atlanta.

Aaron Schatz, an ESPN reporter and also director of analysis at FTN Fantasy (formerly Football Outsiders), ranked every NFL team based on the talent of its youngest players and found that the Falcons are among the best.

“We hear a lot about the Falcons’ talent at the position, and those players are still very young,” Schatz writes. “(Bijan) Robinson, (Drake) London and (Kyle) Pitts all came into the league at 21; Robinson is just 22 now, and London and Pitts are 23. Robinson was a key player for the Falcons as a rookie, rushing for 976 yards on 214 carries and 487 receiving yards on 58 receptions. London had 1,771 receiving yards in two seasons, and Pitts had 2,049 receiving yards in three NFL seasons.”

After adding veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​this offseason, as well as rookie quarterback Michael Penix, the Falcons are hoping to maximize their young talent at the skill positions.

London should benefit greatly from Cousins’ presence. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback has attempted nearly 60 percent of his passes to receivers, and London should fill a role previously held by Stefon Diggs and DeSean Jackson. Last season, London caught 69 passes for 905 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, London’s 1.87 yards per carry ranked just below Diggs and ahead of Cooper Kupp and Chris Godwin last season.