NFL DRAFT: Meet the Falcons third round picks
THIRD ROUND PICKS
83. Corey Peters, DT, Kentucky, 6-foot-3, 300 pounds: Was a three-year starter for the Wildcats at defensive tackle. He has 146 career tackles. Last season, he had 49 tackles (24 solo), 11 tackles for loss, five passes defensed and one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Was voted Kentucky’s most improved defensive player as selected by the coaches in 2007 as a sophomore. … In high school, he wrestled, played baseball and competed in track and field as a discus and shot put thrower. … Attended Louisville (Ky.) Central High. … Born in Pittsburgh.
Mike Johnson (Associated Press)
98. Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama 6-6, 312: Established a school record when he played against Texas in the 2010 BCS title game, as it was his 54th game for the Crimson Tide. … Has been practicing at center during the pre-draft process while working out with quarterbacks Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) and Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan). … Has already received his college degree. … As a starter, he recorded 264 knockdowns or key blocks, 39 touchdown-resulting blocks and 18 downfield blocks. … He had 98 knockdown blocks last season while paving the way for Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.
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176 comments Add your comment
Santa Cruz Dawg
April 24th, 2010
7:54 am
The Falcons still have several picks left in rounds 4-7! I would love to see them pick up a DE with the round 4 pick and then focus on the WR’s and TE for the future. Also you can never have enough O Line depth.
Poor 3rd round
April 24th, 2010
7:57 am
I’m sure both of these guys are real solid men but the Falcons could have had either of these players in the 5th or 6th rounds.
Don’t understand them not getting a WR or a C?
Mr. Phil
April 24th, 2010
7:58 am
Anybody know why Eversen Griffen is free falling? There was a point he was a first round possibility for the birds.
The Real Falcon
April 24th, 2010
8:00 am
A bit disappointed. Peters has weight and conditioning issues. Johnson has FBI but is not very agile or good against the bull rush.
This from NFL.com
Peters: Weaknesses
Carries around too much bad weight, and there are concerns about his conditioning. Lacks the power to collapse the pocket on a bull rush and struggles to disengage from bigger blockers. Does not give a consistent effort and takes too many plays off. Limited agility prevents him from making tackles in space.
Johnson:
Lacks great sand in lower body and can be overpowered in pass protection against the bull rush. Does not have great foot agility and range and isn’t always comfortable getting out and blocking in space. Is not a punishing blocker who will dominate at the point of attack.
Seems like two reaches in a draft that is so deep.
Walker, Texas Ranger
April 24th, 2010
8:03 am
I see what’s going on here. We pick Johnson and Peters. Hello, who’s next? Joe Cox
Hooboo
April 24th, 2010
8:03 am
Those thinking everything TD touches turns to gold have their head in the sand ….. He is good but I am so tired of not being able to question ANYTHING he does due to the In Thomas we trust crowd.
How Did re-signing Houston work out? He was terribad – in the Dimry/webster mold of bad.
How did drafting Chevis work out? I will be real surprised if a) he makes the team this year and B) he is there next year. TD is good – but he has made some mistakes and isnt perfect.
Mr. Phil
April 24th, 2010
8:04 am
Doesn’t Dimitroff covet versatility. We could have seen Johnson coming by reading this line from his ESPN profile “Team leader with experience and versatility lining up at multiple positions along the offensive line. “
Walker, Texas Ranger
April 24th, 2010
8:06 am
PO’d them not getting Griffen at DE or Hernandez TE or Gilyard, WR
Mr. Phil
April 24th, 2010
8:06 am
Smart guy too “Carried a perfect 4.0 GPA in high school and scored a 27 on the ACT exam.”
Mr. Phil
April 24th, 2010
8:09 am
I am convinced something must be wrong with Griffen.Y is he still there?
Bobby
April 24th, 2010
8:10 am
Im dissapointed that we didnt go after two explosive guys Gilyard, Hernandez,and or Pitta in the 3rd round but they are still available in the 4th, so hopefully the Falcons will give the Ice man some big play recievers in the next round. Maybe they can go after the kid from Troy (Lang) DE… What do you all think.
Mr. Phil
April 24th, 2010
8:12 am
I personally would like to see us snag Trindon Holiday late. We need a bonaifide return specialist
myrak43
April 24th, 2010
8:15 am
This years draft did not go how I thought it would, so far. But I am not worried. Falcons now have some added depth on the offense and defensive line. I believe Mike Johnson could be a center, and anyone from Bama’s O-line has to have some talent with all those big wholes they opened up for Ingram especially a three or four year starter. I also believe that Spoon will be an impacted type player.
With that being said I would like to get a pair of Clemson players. WR (Ford) and DE (Sapp).
Jeff
April 24th, 2010
8:21 am
not getting skilled players early WR, RB will hurt us. Unless FA or trade is coming.
Roy
April 24th, 2010
8:26 am
I think the Falcons made a big mistake with Peter’s both the Georgia DT’s are much better.
IceFan
April 24th, 2010
8:31 am
I’m a die-hard KY Wildcat fan. I was surprised to see Peters taken in Round 3, but I’m here to tell you he can be a playmaker. He has a mean streak on the field. I trust that Smitty and Dimitroff wanted him for a reason.
Hooboo
April 24th, 2010
8:38 am
perhaps they were scared off fomr the UGA DTs due to the many reoccurring off the field problems there.
d.carter
April 24th, 2010
8:39 am
The one thing i noticed about last years super bowl was, that its a new NFL offense now wins superbowls… we blew it not drafting DEZ BRYANT
Richham
April 24th, 2010
8:41 am
I don’t get the peters pick at all. The Falcons probably could have had him in the 4th or even 5th round. The fact that he is a DT is also confusing.
You see all these teams moving around and up and over and the Falcons simply sat around and waited. There were some really good WR at the peters pick and they still could have gotten the offensive lineman they wanted.
I believe the falcons confused lots of people with the Peters pick. That one will be scrutinized for a long time.
gman
April 24th, 2010
8:43 am
You guys need to quit watching KJiper. He’s an idiot. NFL Network has far surpassed ESPN in NFL knowledge.
gman
April 24th, 2010
8:44 am
Peters is necessary because Babs will be suspended and/or jailed and Arthur will probably let him go. Good pick TD!!
GetwhatUpayfor
April 24th, 2010
8:54 am
Great picks and each was done for a reason. TD knows what he’s doing, stop the crying. Now lets get some more to complete the job. Go Falcons
Wiley, Obama No! and I’m black.
Score Check
April 24th, 2010
9:01 am
Is there any “substance” to the rumor that Dyer’s drug test was not clean?
I’m just “sniffing” around…
alanfalcon
April 24th, 2010
9:03 am
4th,5th & 6th round picks- TE,DE,WR and CB based on when the best for that position is avaliable, might even be two of the four instead of four singles,now shut up and let TD and Smitty do their thing, THEY ARE BETTER AT THIS THAN THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK YOU KNOW THE GAME.!!!!!!!!!!
Ken
April 24th, 2010
9:04 am
I hope Johnson brings his halo with him from Bama. The Ala offensive line finished the season with 39 straight quarters without a holding penalty…for the entire line! I don’t think he’s gonna get the benefit of the doubt from the zebras in the pros, especially lining up next to guys like Harvey Dahl.
You guys saying we could get Peters in the 5th/6th round haven’t been paying attention to the draft. He was like the 17th DT taken this year. All the teams are loading up on the Defensive side of the ball, especially the big nasty’s up front. There are plenty of playmakes on offense still on the board. We’ll get some help there today, I’m sure.
my problem
April 24th, 2010
9:05 am
all of these might be decent 4 or 5 year pros but we let a hall of famer go right by us in the first watch and see , hint WR
alanfalcon
April 24th, 2010
9:10 am
Here is another thing, if you paid attention to the draft you could tell that TD and Smitty knew where they were going withe there picks-THEY WEREN’T ALL OVER THE PAGE MAKING LAST MINUTE SELECTIONS, MAKING TRADES WITH BEST GUESSE’S, BUT MAKING PICKS WITH UP FRONT KNOWLEDGE WITHIN A SHORT TIME FRAME-GETTING THE MOST WITH WHAT WAS ON THE BOARD.
GO FALCONS, GO SOUTHERN RUSH.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
alanfalcon
April 24th, 2010
9:15 am
Here’s another thought, let the criminals go elsewhere so we can concentrate on the game, good guys can be great players, bad guys cause dissruption and wear down team unity.
GO ARTHUR, TD AND SMITTY-GO FALCONS AND GO SOUTHERN RUSH. !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right Said Fred
April 24th, 2010
9:17 am
Solid picks. Underwhelming at first glance, but TD and Smitty are correct in saying that a good ensemble always plays better than a star + supporting cast. I have a hunch we’re gonna be pleasantly surprised.
Mike Jay
April 24th, 2010
9:31 am
I admit i scratched my head on both of these picks at first but after doing some reading I am feeling pretty good about them.
Peters was voted first team all sEC by the coaches. In front of Mt. Cody. and Dan Williams. He can be a force and some have said he is quick enough to play at DE. I see him helping at both positons.
bro
April 24th, 2010
9:36 am
Falcons have a couple of really big nasty offensive linemen that they do not appear to be very high on. One of them is the NASTIESTS player in the league–SOUNDS LIKE HE/THEY WOULD MAKE GREAT DEFENSIVE TACKLES. CHANGE IS GOOD FOR SOME PEOPLE. They could have been playing on the wrong side of the ball all these years.
Mike Jay
April 24th, 2010
9:38 am
And Johnson was the leader and captain on the the best offesnive line in the country. He has an exceptional football IQ and can play anywhere on the line. My guess is they want him to groom him to play center so he can call the oline adjustments and assignments.
Neitehr pick was sexy but both were good solid players in the otughest conference in college football. TD and his staff did their home work.
PlanB
April 24th, 2010
9:39 am
I only read the first few posts but had to comment. KC in Smyrna, I agree with you. NO is having a great draft and so is Carolina and Tampa Bay while we are getting unknowns in the third. I had rather have good players that might be a little roudy than ones with just character. I hope TD & MS are right. I was hoping we would get would get Jimmy Graham TE from Miami. I think NO got him. Carolina gets a QB that was supposed to go quickly in the 1st around the 40 something pick. Tampa Bay got big names for their D line. We got a DT and we already have Jerry, Babs,JA, Thomas Johnson, Trey Lewis and Vance Walker.
Jimmy, your not the only one that is underwhelmed. I know they (TD & MS) no more than I do. I sure hope their right. I just know that If I was a NO, TB or Carolina fan, I would be feeling good about the draft and I am not. We could have gotten that DT thru FA and not have to used a draft pick. I don’t think we have learned everything we need to know from New England yet. They have some good picks and picked up an extra 1st & 2nd for next year.
nor sir, i don't like it
April 24th, 2010
9:40 am
I like the G from Bama, but not the DT pick. Sorry, but i think that kid would have been there in the 4th if you really wanted him. Options I would much rather have seen:
Dezmon Briscoe.
Eric Norwood
Jonathan Dwyer
Al Woods
Bruce Campbell
Aaron Hernandez
Joe McKnight
Riley Cooper
My point you ask? There was a whole lot more talent than Peters available on the board. I think this is a big whiff for TD this year, which is okay, it happens, but when we didn’t have a 2nd rounder, the 2 3rd rounders should count. And any of the guys listed above have more value than peters. NFL.com gave him a grade of 2.5, any of the guys above are graded 7-8.
Whiff.
collegeballfan
April 24th, 2010
9:40 am
For you guys wanting more “offensive firepower” in this draft; offensive firepower is the offensive line.
Supes
April 24th, 2010
10:15 am
I hate to say it, but it appears we drafted backups and rotational guys in round 3.
Now if that’s what the FALCONS wanted, then fine. But shouldn’t you be looking to add impact starters still in round 3?
We got a rotational backup type DT and a backup lineman.
Where there were FAR more talented players available? I guess I don’t see the strategy of taking “need” players over best available when the “needs” guys could be had in round 4 and later?
Just a fan’s point of view. It would be good to hear why they passed on Everson Griffin (just taken in the top of the 4th round) as a DE prospect in favor of players who were projected as 4-5 round picks?
Michael
April 24th, 2010
10:23 am
Am I the only person thhat doesn’t believe that we had to pick these two particular people in the 3rd round? We could have selected Cam Thomas from N. Carolina with one of the picks (even Mike Mayock thought that we woulfd go in that direction and get bigger up front)! Actually, I disagree with the Mike Johnson pick as well because we could have drafted Chris Scott from Tennessee with a 6TH Round pick instead – who has the same attributes as Johnson, BUT, can also actually help out at OT in some cases. Corey Peters wasn’t even projected to be drafted until the 6th or 7th Rounds at best, and alot of people have him as a FA pickup (why did we have to pick him in the 3RD? Because of these (2) throwaway picks, we missed on drafting James Graham – TE – Miami, (who by the way was chosen by the Saints about (6) picks later)! We still have not drated Matt Tennant for the Center position, and he appears to be primed to be taken off the draft boards esrly today, while we don’t pick until the 19th selection in the 4TH Round. I have NEVER questioned Smitty and TD b4, but this appears to have been a wasted effort in the 3RD Round, and one that we couln’t afford!
FalconFan85
April 24th, 2010
10:30 am
Good Draft so far but still need a DE, CB & a change of pace RB….GO Black Birds!
T.J.MCcrary
April 24th, 2010
10:52 am
I heard a intresting stat on the NFL network yesterday.They said only 50% of the players drafted after the second round ever turn into starters in the NFL.So trying to get a lot of late round picks to replace starters wont happen.These guy’s are for special teams and the depth chart.We are not expecting them to come in and dominate.If they do then thats great but thats not what we’re banking on.
ReddJonn68
April 24th, 2010
10:55 am
We have got too get more speed. Our WRs minus Roddy does’nt scare anybody. Three of the four teams in the championship games had solid WRs (Jets just upgraded in off-season). This is an offense driven league. Just ask Rex Ryan. Solid defense no ring, don’t get me wrong defense will get you there but offense gets you over hte hump. The last time I checked that a defense won it outright they were dancing in Baltimore.
errust
April 24th, 2010
11:02 am
Johnson is a solid pick — he’s a classic OG and will be a pro-bowl player in a couple of years.. He deserves a lot of credit for Mark Ingram’s season – opening big holes for him at the line of attack.
This was a great choice by the Falcons.
T.J.MCcrary
April 24th, 2010
11:02 am
@ReddJonn68 last year Harry Douglass was out for the entire season.The year before he was making some gamebreaking play’s.Hopefully this year he can continue to develop.That will give Roddy White some help the rest of our receivers are possession receivers.M.Jenkins B.Finneran and T.Gonzales are all 6-4 or better that should create matchup problems for safeties that have to play them in single coverage.
shane
April 24th, 2010
11:09 am
who?
froggy
April 24th, 2010
11:09 am
Here’s what the Peters pick says: we have a lot more confidence in our pipeline of Biermann and Sid at DE than we do in Trey Lewis and Vance Walker. Trey appears to be close to done — his two knee injuries have really slowed him down. Babs is on the bubble with his off field antics, so that leaves you Thomas Johnson and Jerry — and they want 4 quality DTs for their rotation.
Great interviews on nfl.com with Belichick — you may hate him, but he’s a superb judge of talent. He says the hardest thing to evaluate is not where a player is today, but to project what he will be two or three years from now. The Kipers of the world, if you’ll remember, loved JA98’s “measurables” — that was supposed to be a great pick. What they didn’t know, and we found out to our chagrin, is the guy is a p*ssy who refuses to compete — a basketball player masquerading as a DE.
Let’s reserve judgement on Peters for awhile. I agree we shouldn’t assume TD is perfect, and he’s made misjudgements like everybody else, but he also found Biermann in the 5th round, who collected five sacks last year. Not bad!
T.J.MCcrary
April 24th, 2010
11:10 am
Let’s not forget that last year we missed the playoffs by one game.Considering the injuries we had to M.Turner,J.Norwood and Matt Ryan we didnt do to bad not to mention the 2 or 3 games we lost when Elam missed key feild goals!!
Supes
April 24th, 2010
11:11 am
Anyone ever heard of our 4th round pick? Dennis Pita was there for the taking, should have moved up a few spots in the 4th round (it doesn’t take much) and drafted him to replace Tony G. after next season. Great pass catching TE with excellent route running, strong hands and good work ethic. Falcons so far get a big fat F after Sean W. in the draft.
Freddie G
April 24th, 2010
11:12 am
These are two solid third round picks that will contribute to the football team. That Peters is a solid D. tackle did you guys watch him this past season?. The Guard from Alabama must be solid, look at the results Mark Ingram had this past year.
T.J.MCcrary
April 24th, 2010
11:12 am
Shane Harry Douglass really stepped up in 08 he tore his ACL in preseason last year he’ll be back this year and so will our first round DT P.Jerry who went down in the second game and missed the rest of the season.
Michael
April 24th, 2010
11:14 am
Okay! We are seemingly allergic to drafting a TE to replace and be groomed by Tony G.! Why the heck do they think that we need that many OL prospects? I can understand depth, but we can get those players later in the draft. Why aren’t we drafting other positions of need such as; TE, WR, CB, etc? I know that the draft isn’t over yet, but the players that could have addressed those needs for us and slipping right passed us, and weren’t high picks, (they were 3Rd & 4TH Round choices that we seemingly didn’t bat an eye at – yet other teams snatched right up)! This is almost as bad as drafting Robert James & Spencer Adkins, and re-signing Michael Jenkins!
UgaMuthaFuga
April 24th, 2010
11:14 am
What was wrong with any of the 30 O-linemen rated ahead of Hawley?