Falcons sign third round pick Akeem Dent
Athens, GA: UGA linebacker Akeem Dent runs a drill for NFL scouts uring UGA's Pro Day March 22, 2011. Brant Sanderlin bsanderlin@ajc.com
UPDATE, 5:18 P.M.
Falcons third round pick Akeem Dent from the University of Georgia and Douglass High agreed to terms on a four-year, according to his Atlanta-base agent Hadley Engelhard.
Here’s some info from draft day on Dent, who attended some of the offseason workouts at Buford High.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Dent will be expected to contribute on special teams and backup at all of the linebacker spots.
Dent played outside and inside linebacker at Georgia.
“He’s a tough, hard-nosed guy who fits our scheme as a (middle) linebacker, but he also has the versatility to play all three positions,” Dimitroff said. “He will be a core special teams player for us, which is very important.”
The Falcons were also impressed by Dent being one of Georgia’s captains and by him attaining his degree in Housing.
“He fits in line as far as what we believe in having the right locker room,” Dimitroff said. “He played in the SEC and that speaks for itself. He knows football. He’s passionate about football.”
Miami kicker Matt Bosher (25) kicks a field goal as quarterback Spencer Whipple holds during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Florida A&M, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Earlier, the Falcons signed three of their six 2011 draft picks and a kicker on Thursday.
Kicker Matt Bosher, offensive lineman Andrew Jackson and defensive end Cliff Matthews were all signed to four-year contracts. The club also signed kicker Jacob Harfman to a three-year contract.
North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson, left, is chased down by South Carolina's Cliff Matthews during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. South Carolina won 7-3. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Bosher (6-foot, 208 pounds) was a sixth round pick (192 overall) from Miami. He handled both punting and placekicking duties while playing at Miami.
Jackson (6-5, 299) was taken in the seventh round (210 overall) from Fresno State. He was a highly coveted tackle after his junior season, but he dropped in the draft after an injury-plague senior season.
Matthews (6-4, 268) was picked in the seventh round (230th overall) from South Carolina. He recorded 144 total tackles, including 16.0 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss over four seasons for the Gamecocks.
Harfman (5-10, 195) played for Southern California over the last two college seasons. He punted 92 times for 3,719 yards and a 40.4 yard average while with the Trojans.
With the Falcons stocking up on punters, it looks they are preparing for Michael Koenen, who is a free agent, to sign with another team.
Andrew Jackson was considered a top flight prospect before suffering an ankle injury.
–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
98 comments Add your comment
The Real DOL
July 28th, 2011
6:44 pm
Boom Boom, I was just about to report that Bishop Long has just signed with the Falcons has their back-up tight end!!
TD stated it was a “BIG” pickup because he is “verstile” and can be both Tight End and team Chaplain.
The Real DOL, reporting live from Swinging Richards.
BoomBoomJoe
July 28th, 2011
6:48 pm
@ The Real DOL, LMAO , I just pissed myself literally.Hey, from the news report i’m figuring he has excellent Ball Handling skills.
jarvis
July 28th, 2011
6:49 pm
The Real DOL, don’t be fooled. His end isn’t quite as tight as it used to be.
supamusic25
July 28th, 2011
7:04 pm
let not worry bout’ offense…we conerbacks and DE’s first…defense and o-line should b major area of concern for us…..shootout won’t matter if we lose 52-49..have to stop the the long runs and short slants…that’s what killed us against GB
falcons relax
July 28th, 2011
7:22 pm
Clabo will leave. Too much money, Andrew Jackson is a steal. He could be the next dahl. Im not surprised by anything. A lot of falcons doubted the pick of dent but lofton had surgery on both knees after the season. Im sure TD brought that into consideration and plus hes UGA. All I hear is cliff matthews is a steal. We went after charles johnson but was too expensive. Im sure ray edwards is asking for the same but I think hes overrated anyway. Lets just get julio signed
Direfalcon
July 28th, 2011
7:29 pm
The Falcons were 13-3 with the players we have now. TD will make the moves that are best for the team. That’s why the Falcons are in the position they are in now.
James Harrison
July 28th, 2011
7:55 pm
Heard it here 1st. Falcons will be 10-6 at best and finish behind New Orleans and Tampa. Roddy White should be a slot receiver. Falcons still
need a Plaxico Burrress/Malcom Floyd/Vincent Jackson, BIG receiver, opposite Julio. Matty ice is closer to Trent Dilfer than Peyton Manning.
BirdDawg24
July 28th, 2011
8:04 pm
oh, has the nfl decided they want to play.? look the falcons improved offensively with the draft ,as far as the defense ,they picked up some good players, but when its all said and done it will be the same ole same ole.at the end of the season , they havent improved that much.
J.J.M.
July 28th, 2011
8:06 pm
panthers are making moves people
panic fan
July 28th, 2011
8:10 pm
same folks that said we would be 8-8 last yr our stuff starts when cap cuts happen thats what several teams are waiting on get players at better value folks REMEMBER THE PROCESS 13-3 last yr
#1 nfc team will will be fine DONT PANIC
BoomBoomJoe
July 28th, 2011
8:18 pm
Riiiight,I do recall we were 13-3 and also recall Green Bay putting there size 12’s up our A%% too, Just drafting Julio and Keeping the same players won’t keep us 13-3,especially when every one is getting better.
GlassHalfFull D-Bird
July 28th, 2011
8:31 pm
Patience Falcon Fans! We’re in pretty good shape. Yes, I’m as anxious as you . . . Which DE will he get, which RB will he get if Snelling walks, which OL will he keep!?! TD/MS/AB know what there doing. Have yall been paying attention the last 3yrs!!!!!!!!!!!!! We’re a snake in the grass, ready to strike!
wes
July 28th, 2011
8:48 pm
KEEP MICHAEL KOENEN!!!!
KEEP MICHAEL KOENEN!!!!
Falcons may regret letting him go. It looks as though Dimitroff is taking our punt coverage unit for granted. They have finished #1 in punt coverage (return yards allowed) two years in a row now.
Why mess with what’s workin’? A small price to pay for a punter one would think.
robert
July 28th, 2011
8:53 pm
we finally signed clabo
BG
July 28th, 2011
9:05 pm
Good luck Dent! GO DAWGS!!
Gregory Moundine
July 28th, 2011
9:11 pm
Atlanta Falcons free agent RT Tyson Clabo will re-sign with the Falcons, according to Adam Schefter.
Georgia Bulldogs
July 28th, 2011
9:11 pm
The Falcons also signed former UGA DL Kiante Tripp, Congratulations Kiante!
Gregory Moundine
July 28th, 2011
9:15 pm
Name Pos. Age Status Word on the street
Brent Grimes CB 28 RFA
Brian Finneran WR 35 UFA Won’t re-sign
Brian Williams CB 32 UFA Won’t re-sign
Eric Weems KR 26 RFA
Harvey Dahl RG 30 UFA
Jason Snelling RB 27 UFA Rams target
Jerious Norwood HB 27 UFA Won’t re-sign
Justin Blalock LG 27 UFA
Matt Bryant K 36 UFA Reportedly re-signing
Michael Koenen P 29 UFA
Mike Peterson OLB 35 UFA Falcons: 1-Yr
Stephen Nicholas OLB 28 UFA Falcons: 5-Yr, $17.5M
Thomas Johnson DT 30 UFA
Tyson Clabo RT 29 UFA Reportedly re-signing
Georgia Bulldogs
July 28th, 2011
9:15 pm
Also, Dent is going to be a HUGE steal for the Falcons. He runs non-stop every game
Chris
July 28th, 2011
9:16 pm
honestly a little disappointed so far in the falcons free agency. We haven’t signed clabo, dahl, or blalock. Even though i think we should let blalock go. And we haven’t gotten a defensive end which we desperately need after trading up to get julio. Even though i loved the move to trade up we have to get another defensive end. We just need to pay ray edwards. GO FALCONS!!!
Gregory Moundine
July 28th, 2011
9:26 pm
Chris
Tyson Clabo RT 29 UFA Reportedly re-signing
The Jama
July 28th, 2011
9:36 pm
SO far so good for Dimitroff and CO. Got fresh bodies, i.e. undrafted free agents for training camp tomorrow, got over half draft picks signed, and have retained several key personnel free agents. With the #2 & #10 1st rd picks being singed I expect Julio “Say Hello to My Little Friend” Jones to be inked by Saturday at the latest. Need to keep Snelling and Grimey for sure…drated OG’s last two years to replace Dahl and Blalock..Good Work TD
BoomBoomJoe
July 28th, 2011
9:38 pm
Well that’s the best re-sign and sign so far, Mike Peterson we really don’t need waste of cap and roster space .
Hobbler
July 28th, 2011
9:39 pm
Cheer up fans! We signed a DE from Yale… I guess McKay thinks we needed someone to debate calls.
Chris
July 28th, 2011
9:40 pm
Thats good we resigned clabo. And we will resign grimes. Im just worried about snelling leaving. He was great for us last year
Take it from me
July 28th, 2011
9:40 pm
The Falcons really need to get some free agents in here,i have yet to forget the packer game,and the differance in talent of the two teams.
J.J.M.
July 28th, 2011
9:45 pm
sign ray edwards and grimes. rebuild the guard positions with what we got
robert
July 28th, 2011
9:51 pm
all rookies are signed
Tyler
July 28th, 2011
10:18 pm
Now that the Falcons signed all of their draft picks and Tyson Clabo, let’s sign Harvey Dahl, Justin Blalock and let’s sign Ray Edwards, and Snelling, and Grimes
J.J.M.
July 28th, 2011
10:46 pm
dont have money for all that tyler
falcons relax
July 28th, 2011
10:57 pm
Some of you don’t understand the business side. WE CAN’T RESIGN EVERYBODY. Ray Edwards wants ton of cash after what charles johnson got. Can’t pay edwards 72 mil. Then grimes 40 mil and then snelling. No way…….forget ray edwards and let kroy biermann start another year to see if hes the real deal. Let blalock walk and start one of our guards. I didn’t care about clabo but it is what it is. Just can’t let grimes go.
Chris
July 28th, 2011
11:51 pm
Enter your comments here
falconfiend
July 29th, 2011
12:14 am
Sign Ray Edwards. He is what J. Anderson should have become. Make those DE in atlanta compete in camp. I seen his game and he is an upcoming player
tjhook
July 29th, 2011
12:18 am
Clabo being back means Dahl is coming back. We will need to worry about Snelling and Grimes although I believe grimes may take less than market value to rejoin us.
DR. FALCON
July 29th, 2011
12:48 am
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DIMITROFF! WAY TO GO ON SIGNING ALL OF OUR DRAFT PICKS, PLUS TYSON CLABO! I WAS WRONG ABOUT YOU. YOU’VE BEEN A BUSY MAN! I JUMPED THE GUN! GO FALCONS!!!
Poobear Jenkins
July 29th, 2011
1:13 am
SeenThisB4
Yeah u right ’status quo’ – Falcons winning the south again with a bye……….I like that status very well homey
loyal falcon
July 29th, 2011
1:32 am
Man, some of you so called falcon fans have no clue. Why the heck do you want us to go out and spend money just to be spending. I understand the need for a DE, but you just don’t go out and overpay like Carolina did. We have a couple solid DE we drafted a couple years ago (kroy and sidbury) that we’ve brought along slowly and I think one of them is about to break out. We also have Peria coming back and if he’s fully healthy (which I believe he is) he’s gonna be a beast. I also believe we got a steal in cliff Matthews. He’s going to be a good one. Who knows maybe the giants release Osi and he signs with atlanta. Afterall, he does live in the area. Just sayin…
Wow
July 29th, 2011
7:03 am
New Orleans signs Darren sproles, man we need to start making some moves.
Greg Moundine
July 29th, 2011
7:30 am
We draft and pursue Free Agency aggressively to win the game..or is that we play to win the game!!
honest_abe
July 29th, 2011
7:35 am
we drafted a 3rd rounder to player special teams. now that’s what you call upside!
AlanFalcon
July 29th, 2011
7:39 am
The blog GM’s are out so watch TD and you to Mike as the blog coaches will soon turn their wrath in your direction,oh yeah, don’t forget to jump on Matty Ice before he throws his first pass. I guess the only thing keft is that we have 3 straight winning seasons behind us and another in front with a chance to get the big prize-have a nice day guys you are inmid-season form before the first practice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO FALCONS AND GO SOUTHERN RUSH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
clay
July 29th, 2011
7:51 am
falcons release jenkins and anderson.
Greg Moundine
July 29th, 2011
7:55 am
Everyone can say what they want, but the Falcons must get in the bid for Nnamdi Asomugha. The Saints and Green Bay are still going to be explosive! Mr. Blank, you may have to pull a N.Y. Yankees move on this one and pay the luxury tax. We must sign Grimes and give him help with ASomugha. Hell, I will throw in an extra $100 for my Season ticket! We would have to be like New England though and get in the chase for Asomugha quietly. For example, no one knew the Ocho and Albert transactions were going down.
Greg Moundine
July 29th, 2011
7:56 am
That’s ok Clay, make that CAP room.
robert
July 29th, 2011
8:07 am
mike jenkins will be missed. who will ever forget ryans first pass was a touch down to jenks. and the bears game that year with 6 seconds jenks made the grab and got out. what about that finger tip grab on 3rd down last year vs ravens to help win it. and the effect of him when he came back healthy after missing the first 5 games due to a shoulder injury. ja never became what they thought he would and never will. he is replaceable by any vet on the street. but he was a pretty good run stuffer. but best of luck to you guys. wish we tried to use you in a trade for some value, but with cap space being what it is there probably isn’t much market for these players now. now go sign or trade for a pass rushing DE like osi or ray edwards.
Greg Moundine
July 29th, 2011
8:11 am
Amen Robert
Jordan
July 29th, 2011
9:12 am
http://isportsweb.com/2011/07/29/atlanta-falcons-free-agency/
TheManMike
July 29th, 2011
1:13 pm
Jay_Glazer Jay Glazer
I’m reporting the Falcons have signed Vikings DE Ray Edwards to a 5 year deal.