Falcons set to meet with Justin Houston
All-SEC outside linebacker Justin Houston (left) has 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss this past season. Some NFL teams consider him a defensive end prospect. (Johnny Crawford / jcrawford@ajc.com)
BIRDLAND – Justin Houston, one of the hot hybrid outside linebacker/defensive ends in the NFL draft, is set to meet with the Atlanta Falcons late next week, according to his representatives.
Houston, who skipped his senior season at Georgia to enter the draft, is considered the 28th ranked player in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com. He was an All-SEC outside linebacker last season, but is considered a scheme-fit for the Falcons at defensive end.
The Falcons pick 27th in the first round and have been looking at defensive ends and offensive tackles.
The Falcons like Houston’s ability to make plays in the opposition’s backfield. He had 10 sacks and 18 ½ tackles for loss last season. Houston’s 20 career sacks rank seventh on the school’s all-time list.
Houston bench pressed 225-pounds, 30 times at he NFL scouting combine, which was the fourth highest total in the linebacker group.
However, he has his detractors.
“Justin Houston from Georgia isn’t as consistent as I would like to see,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “But he’s another guy that people are looking at.”
Falcons coach Mike Smith told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that team will always on the lookout for pass rushers.
“You want to make sure that the quarterback is under duress and that he’s not able to sit back and feel comfortable in the pocket,” Smith said. “We always are trying to improve our pass rush. I think that we do have some young guys that will continue to develop, but that is always an area where you can improve.”
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
Get instant updates on Twitter at AJCFalcons and you can join the Facebook Fan page at AJC Falcons.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
78 comments Add your comment
Ed
March 16th, 2011
4:04 pm
Justin Houston would be the perfect hybrid DE/ OLB that the Falcons really need, besides getting a kid from Georgia would be a great thing. As for the talk of somehow landing Larry Fitzgerald, im all for that.
Benny Birds
March 16th, 2011
4:07 pm
Cameron Heyward 6′5 290lbs or Adrian Clayborn 6′4 290, we are tired of these 6′3 255 lbs DE, that can’t hold up against the run. Stay out of the Combine and get in the film room. Look at the body of work these guys put in and the caliber of opponent play against. We got the Beer Man at 6′3 260 lbs. Watch the films on these 2 guys.
Steve C
March 16th, 2011
4:09 pm
Larry said:
This team, in order, is a PROVEN DE, another Proven DB, a better LT, a dependable change of pace back, and a an NFL caliber Defensive Coordinator (like the Packers and Steelers enjoy) from being the best team in the NFC and possibly the NFL.
Stop guessing and messing around and get it done, Mr. Dimitroff, while your window of opportunity is still wide open!
___________________________________________________________________________________
The NFL is not Wal Mart where a GM can walk in and pick up any player her need at any give time. What “proven DE” would you sign and how much could/would you pay him? What “proven DB” and “better LT” and “dependable change of pace back” and (this one really kills me) “NFL caliber defensive coordinator like the Packers and Steelers enjoy” woudl you sign exactly? EVERY team in the NFL looks for left tackles and proven defensive ends and proven DB’s. That doesn’t mean that Dimitroff, or any other GM for that matter, can just go on Amazon and order one up. There are contracts, salary caps, and player’s personal preferences to deal with.
D Money
March 16th, 2011
4:09 pm
How about getting a FA DE and using the first round pick for a OT that can play the right or left side. Re-sign Blalock and Clabo and stick them at LG and RG respectively. Re-sign Grimes. Then use draft picks 2-7 to fill holes wherever they need help
Hardy Falcon
March 16th, 2011
4:13 pm
The guy is a loser, why do the Falcons waste their time with under sized defensive players?
Benny Birds
March 16th, 2011
4:53 pm
Spend some money in free agent, Santonio Holmes Wr, to complement Roddy, Nnamdi Asomuaha or Antonio Cromartie to play opposite of Bret Grimes and move Dunta Robinson to safety, since he love to hit and great in run support.
Benny Birds
March 16th, 2011
5:05 pm
My 2011 Falcons Defense, DE Abraham DT Jerry DT Babineaux DE Cameron Hayward(R) OLB Spoon MLB Lofton OLB Casey Matthews(R) CB Grimes S Moore S Robinson CB Nnamdi Asomuaha
Anderson
March 16th, 2011
5:20 pm
I’m on the Justin Houston bandwagon. He was productive on the field and he has the physical measurables.
There will be detractors and questions about everyone…even the players picked in the top five.
There were questions about Clay Matthews….possible steroids use and was he a one year wonder @ USC.
I can see JH being a playmaker for the Atlanta Falcons. Also,as mentioned,he is a fit for their scheme.
WHY?!?!?
March 16th, 2011
5:40 pm
So, we drafted Witherspoon last year to modest results. What’re they doing now? Meeting with a 3-4 OLB? Seriously insane. Lets go after some real DE’s like Cam Heyward…..and yes, we can move down and get MORE picks to take him in the 2nd round. Also, we need some more depth at Corner and a difference maker at either RB or WR. I’d say take DeMarco Murray in the 2nd or 3rd round rather than the brightest colored turd from Uga’s horrible defense.
dirtyo11
March 16th, 2011
6:16 pm
Get him unless we gonna make a splash at DE via trade or FA. We also need to get a super fast slot reciever that’s not just fast but can catch and know when and how to break his route when the D is blitzing. We got our eye on wideout that runs a 4.3, hope he can catch…we might be able to get him in the 3rd rnd cause he come from a small school.
corsair214
March 16th, 2011
9:06 pm
“FANS UNITE” aka “F U” / NY Jets Chapter
Until the NFL lowers it’s prices, and respects the customer;
I WILL NOT buy any NFL merchandise, much of which is made over seas by people being paid “slave wages”, are you listening Adrian Peterson.
I WILL NOT buy any single game tickets. If you have season tickets cut concession sales buy 50%.
I WILL NOT watch any network pregame or post game shows, HBO, SHO, or ESPN highlight shows, or any other NFL related programming.
I WILL NOT watch any pre season games, and WILL listen to the first two (maybe more) regular season games on celestial radio (not satellite).
I WILL boycott an NFL sponsor (Anhieser Busch), and tell them so with an email.
I WILL NOT buy any product endorsed by an NFL star.
YOU SHOULD NOT support any politician who wants to use tax dollars for a new stadium. If the NFL can haggle over 9 BILLION dollars they can build the stadium. The NFL is a “Non Profit Organization”.
We are FANS UNITE, and to the NFL we say,…..F U !!!!!!!!!!!
corsair214
March 16th, 2011
9:11 pm
FANS UNITE aka F U/ NY Jets Chapter
DO NOT purchase the “NFL TICKET”, “RED ZONE”, or NFL phone App’s.
F U!!!! NFL
cwltank
March 16th, 2011
9:24 pm
Houston would indeed be a safe & needed pick. We nee 1 more impact LB, the D lineman occupy the O lineemen & LB’s must be able to run and make plays. I pray we get him. lol
old man
March 16th, 2011
10:23 pm
Most critical needs:
Defense: Edge pass rusher, but Houston is not the answer
Offense: Change of pace RB
Everything else we already have can win a Super Bowl. These are our two missing pieces.
Falcons> Aints
March 17th, 2011
12:29 am
Well at least this is better than Allen Bailey. I’m not sure we take a DE at #27, though. We may jump on an OT or even a receiver, though the latter isn’t guaranteed either.
A good player will fall to #27, and I don’t think we’ll be trading any picks. Question is whether a better offensive need based player is who we grab with that pick, or a better defensive need based player is who we grab.
Right now, it’s anybody’s guess. Houston is a good pick, though. Even if he doesn’t turn out to be a stud DE (something I’m not sure of anyway), he could turn out to be better than Stephen Nicholas, which only makes our LB core better.
Scott
March 17th, 2011
7:41 am
I like Houston but his sides concern me .. The Falcons need a proven DE monster to compete .
GHunt
March 17th, 2011
11:38 am
DLed, jn your humble opinion, if Kerrigan, Heyward and Houston are all available at #27 who should they take? (Quinn would be a no brainer)
c white
March 17th, 2011
11:50 am
if u get a pass rush it help out the dbs so think before u say somethings we need all the help we can get and who ever heard of a bust at pick 27 man this a uga boy who can play not one but 2 pos he good young and fast if they pick hm good pick but he want be there anyway
Reddawg0369
March 17th, 2011
12:01 pm
The Falcons currently have no Georgia Bulldogs on their roster… This would be a very welcome addition. I think Justin has the potential to be a Jon Abraham type player with the right mentorship in place… and who better than Jon himself?
isproab
March 17th, 2011
1:27 pm
Wow, Houston may be inconsistent but he is still a productive player. Falcons are picking at 27, not 7. All players have questions.
People are concerned about Bower’s knee. Quinn missed an entire year b/c he took improper benefits. J.J. Watt isn’t explosive and is more of a 3-4 guy.Adrian Clayborne and Cameron Jordan both have some legal issues in their past and neither is really elite in terms of explosion.
To me, Aldon Smith, Ryan Kerrigan and Justin Houston are the most realistic options and I feel they provide the most bang for the buck without more than normal concerns. Smith may be out of reach, Kerrigan and Houston too at the end of the day. If on the board I would take Houston. He was a 4-3 end his first 2 years and being 270 and running 4.68 proves he can be big enough and still maintain his athleticism.
Ken Strickland
March 17th, 2011
3:04 pm
The Falcons don’t NEED a DE, we NEED an effective pass rusher to compliment DE JAbraham, which could just as well mean a LB or hybrid(DE/LB combo). Since we rotate our DL anyway, we can afford to draft a one dimensional pass rushing specialist at this point. We also stand a good chance of finding that player in the 2nd rd as well.
Some of you act like KBiermann is a total bust at DE. If he hasn’t developed to your satisfaction after 3yrs, 1 yr as a starter, then what in the devil makes you think anyone we’d draft at #27 would automatically give us everything we need at DE right out of college?
Over the last few yrs, there’s been no shortage of DE’s drafted among the top 15 picks that have turned out to be busts. If a quality OT drops to #27, like Pouncey, whose twin brother made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, we take him. While our OL has done well collectively, we need to start upgrading the individual talent along that OL.
This is especially important if we lose RT TClabo, who’s our only Pro Bowl caliber OLinemen. It would be a stupid for us to keep drafting DE’s yr after yr, and giving up on them prematurely. We seem to have a bunch of impatient fans that’s expecting us to find a complete DE at the bottom of the 1st rd that can perform at a Pro Bowl level right out of college.
Look at what we would have missed out on if we had been stupid enough to give up on former Falcon DE PKerney’s after his 1st yr as a starter. There was certainly no shortage of whinning and b!tching Falcon fans who were claiming he was a bust.
Steven A.
March 17th, 2011
6:05 pm
Justin Dallas, or whatever his name is, will be a career “special teamer.” Dude will be a major 1st round
disappointment to whomever takes such a risk. Watched a lot a Georgia football from Orlando last season and consequently felt that defensively, that unit had poor instincts and low football IQs.
Gordon General
March 18th, 2011
5:07 am
The Falcons have a lot of needs not just at DE but also at corner and wide receiver. Roddy White was the primary guy and everytime we got the ball on a passing down it was him or Tony G. Our offense was really predictable. What happened to the reversus’ and gadget plays that we so often fell prey to last year? Our corners play that soft defense, what happened to bump and run? They are 7-8 yards off the receiver before the ball is ever snapped, can you say positive gain? If Abraham is out getting a breather we rarely get any pressure on the QB. I know these guys play hard but its our time to not just get to a superbowl but win one. If Eugene Robinson wasn’t out picking up prostitutes and people out partying all hours of the morning we probably would have one by now…We have some great fans in the “A” and we deserve a championship too!
anon
March 18th, 2011
6:18 am
Drew Hill Warren Moon’s Favorite receiever had a Massive heart attack yesterday and will not recover.
He is one of the top 20 wide reciever of all time & one of the best partiers ever in the NFL. He’s at the Piedmonnt Hospital on Peachtree st in Atlanta 5th Floor.
cwltank
March 18th, 2011
10:42 am
That is very sad news. My prayers goes out to his family and love ones.
Falcons relax...
March 18th, 2011
7:14 pm
” we do have some young guys that will continue to develop, but that is always an area where you can improve.” That right there says it all. They want be drafting this guy for DE. Kerrigan to me is the only DE thats really on their list of “IF HERES THERE TAKE HIM” mentality. So if to me its about “NEED”. TD has set us up in a good way where we can take anyone. Its all about who is there because we could use a C, G, LT, CB, DE, WR etc. But o-line to me is the highest priority due to its lack of high ceiling, free agency, and years on them.
The U
March 20th, 2011
8:51 pm
Houston is the real deal. You can’t blame him for Willie Matinez read read read defense. When he was coached up by a professional coach he produced his best season. Go for it falcons he can’t be the bust anderson was for DE
waynelaster
March 20th, 2011
10:28 pm
Houston played under a new system GA had just installed. He is the best pass rusher in this draft, He has above average and size. If he shed 10 pounds he will be a perfect strong side linebacker. I pray we pick him. That being said, if we go O Lineman I want be suprised. lol