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Atlanta Falcons’ future bright, ESPN says

Gillberg
Atlanta Falcons’ future bright, ESPN says

THE Atlanta Falcons The Blue Bombers are a hotbed of young talent, a sight to behold on both ends of the floor. The team has a plethora of extremely talented young players at the technical positions, a fact that wasn’t lost on ESPN’s Aaron Schatz.

It ranks head coach Raheem Morris’ team fourth in the site’s rankings for the best players under 25.

“We hear a lot about the Falcons’ talent at the position, and those players are still very young,” Schatz wrote on ESPN+. “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 has 1,771 receiving yards in two seasons, and Pitts has 2,049 receiving yards in three NFL seasons.”

The Falcons’ players are even younger than Schatz gave them credit for. Typically, a player’s age is defined as the age he is at the end of the season. However, Drake London is still 22 (his birthday is July 24) and Kyle Pitts was 20 when he played his first four games as a Falcon (his birthday is October 6).

The Falcons’ success in drafting young talent over the past few years has been a key factor in their rise on this list, with one of the major X-factors being second-year running back Bijan Robinson.

That trend continued this year, with the team selecting Washington’s Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, as Schatz noted.

“Penix, the No. 8 overall pick, is old for a starting quarterback (he turned 24 in May) and might not play for a year or two. But as far as this ranking goes, the Falcons still have a top-10 quarterback prospect under 25.”

In addition to Penix, a couple of Atlanta second-year players have caught Schatz’s attention as standouts with budding potential.

“The Falcons also have young players at left guard in Matthew Bergeron (24) and at defensive end in Zach Harrison (23). Second-round rookie defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro is 22, as is second-year starting cornerback Clark Phillips III.”

Heading into training camp, this team will look very different than it has in the past. The group has gotten younger and faster at many positions. The future of owner Arthur Blank’s organization is now, and the young players, who are usually the ones who gravitate toward veterans, will be the deciding factors in the team’s overall success in 2024.

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