Richie Grant No. 40 Overall Atlanta Falcons
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The #Falcons have selected former #UCF safety Richie Grant with the 40th overall pick. pic.twitter.com/6EDapeRoK3 UCF Knight News (@UCFKnightNews) April 30, 2021
The defensive back from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, had an impressive career with the Knights capping off his career ranked fourth in UCF history with seven forced fumbles, fifth with 10 career interceptions, and finished with a total of 291 tackles.
During his final season with the Knights, Grant led the team with 72 tackles and contributed 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and one quarterback hurry. Grant also received a unanimous first-team all-conference selection by The American and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
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We heard rumblings about 24 hours before the first round that the Cardinals were likely to take Collins, though he was someone expected to go in the mid-to-late 20’s. Could they have traded back and landed him? Maybe. But his versatility combined with that of Isaiah Simmons and Budda Baker make this a tough defense to play against. Moore makes so much sense in the second round, as we still don’t know if Larry Fitzgerald will return. No matter what, he’s a perfect fit to play the slot in their offense. I liked Gowan better than Wilson, so getting him two rounds later saved their score a bit, as Wilson seemed like a bit of a reach. If there’s one thing I would’ve liked to see them do, it was to add a nose tackle seeing as many of them fell much further than expected.
2021 Post Draft Analysis bloggingtheboys.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bloggingtheboys.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Before taking a look at the Falcons 2021 draft class specifically, what new head Coach Arthur Smith and first-time GM Terry Fontenot showed over the past few days was their immediate take on the current roster and how to enhance it.
Matt Ryan clearly is the quarterback they believe in. By not drafting a quarterback to develop and instead reaching terms with veteran free agent A.J. McCarron, Fontenot and Smith showed no signaling of Ryan s departure anytime soon. Maybe after the season that process begins, but Ryan won t have to deal with anyone behind him that fans will be clamoring for should he have a tough outing.