How the Atlanta Falcons Revamped DL With 3 Friends From the NFL Combine

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The city of Indianapolis is known for many things, from auto racing to St. Elmo’s Steakhouse and everything in between.

But it’s also the place where a trio of Atlanta Falcons rookie defensive linemen – Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus and Zion Logue – owe the start of their friendship.

At the NFL Combine, the group consisting of Orhorhoro, Dorlus and Logue spent a lot of time together. Orhorhoro and Dorlus had already met about a month earlier at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, but Logue was a new addition.

They hit it off and their minds began to wander – but with a cloud of doubt hovering over their heads.

“We’re not all going to end up in the same place together,” Dorlus remembers saying. “And then this happened.”

Orhorhoro was the first domino to fall. The Falcons moved up from No. 43 to No. 35 overall to select the former Clemson star, sending a third-round pick to secure his acquisition.

At No. 109, Dorlus followed. He said he began considering Atlanta as a viable option after being unselected on Day 2, remembering a subtle promise from Falcons defensive line coach Jay Rodgers earlier in the process.

Logue, who spent five seasons at Georgia, saw his friends get selected long before him by the team just an hour away from where he played collegiately. He waited 196 picks – and number 197 turned out to be the magic pick.

With that, the trio was reunited – and Orhorhoro’s mind immediately returned to his week in Circle City.

“When I saw them get drafted, I was like, ‘Shoot, it’s still like a party,’” Orhorhoro said. “We are here now.”

Here, in this case, is Flowery Branch, where the Falcons began rookie minicamp on May 10, providing the first opportunity for Orhorhoro, Dorlus and Logue to hit the practice field as professionals.

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Atlanta’s mastermind group, led by head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, came under fire after selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 8th overall, rejecting the entire defensive players in the draft.

But the Falcons responded by spending five of their final seven picks – Orhorhoro, edge rusher Bralen Trice, Dorlus, linebacker JD Bertrand and Logue – on the first seven players.

Fontenot and Morris wanted to add young, versatile players to the defensive line. They succeeded. They also managed to recruit three friends who grew closer at the combine and have already picked up where they left off.

“They’re both funny,” Logue said. “We’re all just telling each other things and laughing and having fun. We all came out of the meetings (Thursday) night, sat together, ate dinner, had breakfast. We just had a good time moment, tried to understand what these guys are doing.

Logue and Orhorhoro have a particularly innate understanding of each other; they are roommates in the Falcons’ dorms at minicamp and share the same meeting room as the defensive tackles.

They knew each other a little when they arrived, Logue said, but their relationship began to blossom — although it was still in its infancy.

“He’s kind of like a brother I’ve never been with, but we know each other really well,” Logue said. “It’s going to be refreshing to get to know him more and more over the course of this camp and training camp, things like that. It’s going to be fun.”

Players have different approaches to building relationships. Penix likes fishing. There is a basketball hoop in the locker room that saw many shots during minicamp. Regardless of the task, spending time together is considered the most important aspect.

By default, Orhorhoro and Logue are closer to each other than any other recruit. They watched NBA playoff games together, including those involving the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Logue has ties to Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards; the two went to Georgia together from 2019 to 2020. Logue said Edwards didn’t always remember his name, which is why the 6-6, 314-pounder was nicknamed “big boy.”

Orhorhoro, who stands 6-4 and 294 pounds, shares Logue’s size credentials, but the two have formed a much stronger bond. For Logue, relationships like this – and with Dorlus – start with frequency of conversation.

“Watching the playoffs, playing games, sitting in the locker room, sitting in the cold bathtub, talking to each other when we’re at the practice table,” Logue said. “Just ask them questions, ask them what their background is, what their perspective is on it.”

Both Dorlus and Logue exude positive energies, but perhaps no one in Flowery Branch does so more than Orhorhoro.

All three players have spent five years in college and understand the ups and downs that occur throughout the grueling football schedule. That’s where Orhorhoro’s constant dose of wide, infectious smiles come into play – and could prove beneficial sooner rather than later in the Atlanta locker room.

“It’s every day,” Dorlus said of Orhorhoro’s energy. “You need a guy like that, because you might have a day where you come in (and) you’re just slumped over and then Ruke says loudly, ‘Come on, let’s go.’ I love it. I thrive on it, it motivates me a lot.”

From 2021 to 2022, the Falcons pass rush has recorded just 39 total sacks, last in the league with more than 30 takedowns. Atlanta took a step forward last season, but still only ranks 21st in the league with 42 sacks.

Fontenot and Morris had the opportunity to respond to the outside pass rush at No. 8 overall. They did not do it. Instead, they put their faith in the depth of the class and the quality of their scout team.

And while Atlanta didn’t follow the path many suspected, she ultimately found a path to friendship. Whether this will lead to better results on the pitch will be determined in due course, but for now it has fostered a solid environment in which at least this trio can grow.

“It’s a dream come true,” Dorlus said. “I’m happy to have someone I know, someone I feel comfortable with. We encourage each other, we push each other, and it’s fun.”