Atlanta Falcons center recognized for his run-blocking prowess

PFF’s rankings continue and with that comes another underrated Atlanta Falcons player that shows just how talented this team is. Today’s rankings are center and Atlanta’s Drew Dalman cracked the top ten, as the ninth best center in the NFL.

Dalman has struggled with pass blocking in his three seasons in the NFL, posting a 53.0 grade in 2023, but he has been one of the best run blockers during that span. Dalman’s 90.0 run blocking grade in 2023 ranked third among centers, as did his 82.3 grade. If he can become a complete blocker, he could be one of the few elite centers in the game.

Atlanta has one of the best offensive lines in the league, centered around its talent on the interior. Right guard Chris Lindstrom is arguably the best guard in the game, and second-year player Matthew Bergeron has shown plenty of upside as a versatile guard on the left side.

With that kind of talent inside, the Falcons decided they should only run 109 rushing plays inside, according to Stathead, by far the fewest in the NFL. It’s pretty glaring that the difference between the second-worst team, the Minnesota Vikings (168), is greater than the gap between Minnesota with 31 and the Los Angeles Chargers with 20 (217).

A common theme of Arthur Smith’s regime resurfaces. Refusing to use the roster’s strengths and handicapping the offense. Hopefully, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will be more receptive to developing an offensive strategy around the offense’s right weapons.