There was a noticeable increase in intensity at Flower Branch for the second day of Atlanta Falcons training camp. Arthur Smith surprised the squad with a quick session of 1v1 battles where DL/OL, CBs/WRs and LBs/RBs went mono-a-mono as the rest of the team gathered around. The pads aren’t fully on yet, but the heat is cranking up as the team prepares for the 2022 NFL regular season.
Here are some more quick hits and observations from the first day of Falcons camp.
Drake London shows his stuff
Rookie first round pick Drake London made a highlight reel grab in practice that got even DT Grady Jarrett’s attention in camp today.
“Today Drake made a nice play, and you can see why he was the first receiver taken,” Jarrett said about London. “It started the day off really good. That just caught my eye early in camp…
“... but with it being early in camp, we gotta ramp it up.”
That was the theme of the day, and it certainly could be the start of something special for London. In his rookie year, he gets the chance to compete against one of the better cornerback tandems in the NFL with second-team All-Pro A.J. Terrell Jr. and an experienced Casey Heyward Jr. on the other side of the line.
“The DB room is deep, and to be able to go against those guys and really show my arsenal and try new things against them is gonna help me in the long run,” London told media. “Being that it’s been football strictly for a couple months now, I feel like I’ve grown in every aspect and matured, too.”
Todd McClure Joins the Falcons Ring of Honor
The Falcons announced today that longtime center Todd McClure will be the 12th member of the club’s Ring of Honor. The long-time offensive lineman will
be inducted into the Ring of Honor at halftime of the Falcons game against the Carolina Panthers on October 30th. McClure was selected by the Falcons with the 237th overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University. He spent his entire career, spanning 14 years, in Atlanta where he played in 198 games and made 195 starts.
“If I were to look back at myself when I was 10 years old and to look and say that a major league sports franchise, the best of the best, and that my name will be up there with [eleven] other guys that have had an impact on a franchise, that would be big. I never could’ve dreamed it. Because if you look back over my career, I wasn’t the most talented guy. But I took pride in making the guys around me better. I feel liek I was a great teammate. And to hear that from all the guys in that video. It really meant a lot to me… I don’t take any of it for granted. It’s a huge honor.”
He joins Tommy Nobis, Claude Humphrey, Jeff Van Note, Steve Bartkowski, Mike Kenn, William Andrews, Gerald Riggs, Jessie Tuggle, Deion Sanders, Warrick Dunn and Roddy White as the newest member.
Help is on the Way
Falcons VP of Player Personnel Kyle Smith may have known he was foreshadowing some news when he spoke this morning about his office actively scouting anybody – from free agents to players on every single team in the league – who can come in and try to make an impact.
Lo and behold, after practice today the team announced the signing of safety Henry Black. Black was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers following the 2020 NFL Draft out of Baylor. At 6-foot, 204-pounds, the 25-year-old safety has recorded 27 total tackles (20 solo), 19 special teams tackles, two forced fumbles, two passes defensed and one interception in 25 career games for the Packers. He appeared in all 17 games for Green Bay in 2021, finishing with 24 total tackles (17 solo), 14 special teams tackles, two passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble last season.
In a corresponding move, the Falcons released tight end Brayden Lenius.
First Team Offensive Line Tracker
Matthews - Wilkinson - Hennessy - Lindstrom - McGary
*yesterday: Matthews - Mayfield - Dalman - Lindstrom - McGary