Falcons draft center Peter Konz, OT Lamar Holmes
Falcons selected Peter Konz in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday. (Associated Press)
FLOWERY BRANCH — Most of the folks in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin bleed green and gold and are devout Packers fans.
Former Wisconsin center Peter Konz, who was selected in the second round (55th overall) by the Falcons on Friday, said he was raised doing a different dance — The Dirty Bird.
“A [few] people know this, but I was never a Packer fan,” Konz said. “I always did what people told me not to do. So when the Falcons were in the Super Bowl, I was doing the Dirty Bird with the rest of them.”
Former Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler turned in the team’s card and announced the pick in New York.
Just before they were to select at No. 84 (third round) they traded the pick to Baltimore. They received the Ravens’ pick at No. 91 (third round), which they used to take Lamar Holmes, an offensive tackle from Southern Mississippi.
The trade also brought the Falcons a fifth-round pick (No. 164, 29th of the round).
The Falcons’ plan was to improve the offensive line early in this draft.
“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is Konz can play both guard and center,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “We have him listed as a guard-center.”
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked 26 times last season and was hit 84 times, which was the seventh most hits in the NFL. If the Falcons plan to climb to the top of the NFC and are Super Bowl contenders, they must do a better job of protecting the man Dimitroff has taken to calling “Deuce.”
“We need to make sure we have the right people protecting ‘Deuce’ as well as helping in short-yardage runs,” said Dimitroff, who selected a player from the Big Ten conference for the first time in five drafts with the Falcons.
Konz’s versatility was important to the Falcons.
“At Wisconsin they made sure I knew tackle, guard and center,” Konz said. “Anywhere I can help the team, that’s my responsibility.”
The Falcons re-signed center Todd McClure during free agency. Also, Joe Hawley started three games at center last season.
The right guard position was problematic as Garrett Reynolds opened the season as the starter after beating out Mike Johnson. When Reynolds struggled, Hawley took over at right guard.
In the offseason, the Falcons sign guard Vincent Manuwai in free agency.
Konz, 6-foot-5 and 314 pounds, was projected to go late in the first round by most draft analysts. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper had him rated as the top center in the draft.
“He has no peers in this draft,” Kiper said.
Konz, who lifted 225 pounds just 18 times at the NFL scouting combine, needs to improve his upper-body strength. He should be able to lift that weight 25 times. He said he lifted 225 pounds 23 times at his Pro Day.
He is considered quick and agile for his size. He could pull on sweeps and hit moving targets, which was considered a weakness of the line by former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey. The line’s lack of mobility was cited when Mularkey was pressed about why he didn’t call more screen passes last season.
Under new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, the Falcons plan to run more screens. They need some linemen who can pull and eliminate defenders while on the move.
Konz has a interesting medical history. He was placed on blood thinners in 2008 after blood clots were discovered in his lungs. He also has battled through ankle sprains in 2009 and 2010. Last season, he missed three games with a dislocated ankle. He returned to play in the Rose Bowl.
The draft resumes at noon Saturday with the fourth round. The Falcons have four remaining picks — two in the fifth round (157th and 164th overall), the sixth (192nd) and the seventh (249th).
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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204 comments Add your comment
bsg3003
April 27th, 2012
10:44 pm
Here go second chance boys
Falcons select center Peter Konz in the NFL draft | football-feed.com
April 27th, 2012
10:45 pm
[...] to Original Content From Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog): read more Related Articles Share About Author [...]
Delbert D.
April 27th, 2012
10:45 pm
Holmes, huh.
bsg3003
April 27th, 2012
10:45 pm
Whooooo???
Supes
April 27th, 2012
10:46 pm
Wow…just wow.
Gwinnett Fred
April 27th, 2012
10:46 pm
Took an OT – but not Massie.
Ledbetter – you need to double check your sources, cause they sold you a bill of goods about the team wanting Massie!
JoeFann
April 27th, 2012
10:47 pm
Looks like 32 teams know something about Massie that Kiper doesn’t–for the last 36 picks.
bsg3003
April 27th, 2012
10:48 pm
What’s up with Massie?
Gwinnett Fred
April 27th, 2012
10:49 pm
JoeFann – there has to be something to it, but why say the Falcons considered Massie at 55 then. Did he get arrested for smoking pot in the last hour and half or something?????
Disgusted
April 27th, 2012
10:50 pm
Not impressed with this falcon draftatall, two lineman sort of a reach where they picked.
Supes
April 27th, 2012
10:51 pm
The Pats with a great draft so far…helps to have all those picks.
Supes
April 27th, 2012
10:52 pm
Well no 4th round pick so they are gonna have a hard time “selling” this draft to the fans…
Delbert D.
April 27th, 2012
10:52 pm
I had to look up Holmes on the NFL combine rating site, but he is larger, heavier at 320+, has longer arms and graded 50.0 combined to Massie at 48.
Falcons select center Peter Konz in the NFL draft | NFL Online News
April 27th, 2012
10:53 pm
[...] Atlanta Falcons This entry was posted in Atlanta Falcons and tagged center, draft, Falcons, Konz, Peter, select. Bookmark the permalink. ← Draft: Round Two pick-by-pick analysis (The SportsXchange) [...]
Delbert D.
April 27th, 2012
10:55 pm
Compared, not combined. Bigger hands, too. Maybe they check toenails or something. Kneecap circumference.
Falcon in DC (Rupe)
April 27th, 2012
10:55 pm
Pat Yasinkas summarizes it well.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/57846/falcons-keep-plowing-with-peter-konz
Bruce
April 27th, 2012
10:56 pm
Not liking this draft at all.
JoeFann
April 27th, 2012
10:57 pm
Maybe just a smokescreen to keep folks far away from your real target. I’m sure on their board they had Holmes rated higher than Massie. If not, something must have become know internally that the media doesn’t know about. Who knows? Maybe he tripped on the hotel steps and tore an ACL. For 32 teams to all do the same thing (ignore Massie) you’d think something happened or was discovered and widely shared.
Mick Luckhurst
April 27th, 2012
10:59 pm
All the mock drafts I saw , I didn’t see one that had draft correct for falcons. Mr TD just drafted a O tackle. Looks like Baker is on his way out of door. Couldn’t happen soon enough.
For UGA fans that have been wanting Boykin. Word is scout’s were watching him take a dive when Quick Six was running fake punt. Boykin look like a punter, taking dive in turf to keep from getting hit. Falcons wants someone to hit. Looks like we will still have one UGA player on roster, damn Tech has three.
Gwinnett Fred
April 27th, 2012
10:59 pm
Falcon DC – Thanks for the link, but I worry about so called “journalists” that use the word “rout” instead of what they intended to use- “route”.
BFALCON
April 27th, 2012
11:01 pm
Bull sh- -!!!! TD just reached for this guy Holmes , with B.Massie sitting right there. DLED, I thought you said the second pick was between Konz & Massie. We reach for Holmes, Do not like this draft at all!!! With no fourth round pick. Falcons should have released S.Baker and signed M.McNeil if he checked out physically. The Falcons still are weak in the defensive line and do not have a future TE. If I was running the draft, I would have picked M.Adams OT in 2nd rd, I like the trade down to pick up extra 5th rd pick. I would have selected B.Thompson in 3rd.Tomorrow I would trade into the 4th rd to select O.Charles or L.Green at TE position.
Delbert D.
April 27th, 2012
11:03 pm
Strengths
Massie is a massive offensive tackle who was nearly a three-year starter for Ole Miss and chose to forgo his last year of eligibility. He is four years removed from high school after a year at the renowned Hargrave Military Academy. Massie was not a standout player in college and will have to find the right opportunity to land a spot on a roster as a rookie; he could get drafted late to a team with a need.
Holmes has good natural strength and an anchor to stall bull rushers at the point of attack. He has an evenly proportioned body throughout his 6-foot-6 frame and looks the part of a starting NFL tackle. He doesn’t have a lot of range in his pass set, but he generally gets good enough position to sustain his man. He can move his feet fairly well for his size and mirror with quicker rushers.
Weaknesses
Massie is not a very dynamic athlete and is a slow-footed mover. He is not a natural bender and is rigid in many of his movements. He labors to work to the second level and and struggles when sifting through traffic to engage his man. He relies on catching his man as a blocker in pass protection and will get in trouble with that technique at the next level.
Holmes has a bad habit of stopping his feet on contact, which works in pass protection but leaves him vulnerable when pulling or blocking against the run. His feet don’t coincide with his hands when engaged on a block, and he will need to learn to eat up grass in the run game or he will get plays blown up at his expense at the next level.
NFL combine rating info
A-ville Ranger
April 27th, 2012
11:04 pm
Holmes looks like an awful pick. He was projected as a 6th or 7th rd pick. He is slow, sloppy and very limited. On paper he is the worst OL to go in the first 3 rds.
Falcon in DC (Rupe)
April 27th, 2012
11:08 pm
@Gwinnett Fred…. Good catch!!!! Let’s just chalk that up to a late night typo!!
Rip
April 27th, 2012
11:15 pm
Well not impress with this draft, needed BIG DT, TE and it would have been nice to get a home run RB Another Winning season, in and out of the playoffs in a flash. But we will have a new Building to showcase. and maybe attract a SB
Delbert D.
April 27th, 2012
11:18 pm
Holmes had 4 years in college, and Massie 3. More to look at on film?
“Massie was not a standout player in college and will have to find the right opportunity to land a spot on a roster as a rookie; he could get drafted late to a team with a need.”
“Massie is a massive offensive tackle who was nearly a three-year starter for Ole Miss and chose to forgo his last year of eligibility. He is four years removed from high school after a year at the renowned Hargrave Military Academy. Massie was not a standout player in college and will have to find the right opportunity to land a spot on a roster as a rookie; he could get drafted late to a team with a need.”
“Holmes is a massive offensive tackle from Southern Miss who carries his 320 pounds well and is a deceptive athlete. He continued to improve his technique throughout his career and looked like an NFL player in his senior year. He has good natural strength and could be selected in the later rounds.”
Same source, NFL combine profiles
Great Falconi
April 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
Gee. I have a big problem with the Falcons trying to improve their offensive line. That makes no sense at all.
zho18
April 27th, 2012
11:27 pm
I would like to think T.D. and coach Smith know what they are doing . But look back at their past drafts and they have really only drafted roll players , no stars . It looks like Julio Jones will be good , Matt Ryan could be good with a better o line but that’s about it . It just seams that they pass on so many obvious good players to reach for roll players . I am a lifelong Falcons fan but I am embarrassed and upset by that last pick . I live near Tampa so I have to listen to how awesome they have done in the draft already . I guess we just have to let it all play out .
robertussen
April 27th, 2012
11:48 pm
it was mentioned that the decision was between konz and massie, but massie was still there when we picked in the 3rd and we passed on him. why?
Gwinnett Fred
April 27th, 2012
11:56 pm
@robertussen – maybe they think he’ll still be there in the 5th round – LOL
trailboss
April 28th, 2012
12:26 am
man if we can get these guy’s and keep them healthy I think we make have something here.I love the the 300 pounded on bother side’s of the ball. Now if they want to play we’ll know if they hold out or go to camp.
torgo
April 28th, 2012
3:00 am
Liking the Konz pick. Not liking the Holmes pick. Holmes or some equal talent would likely have been on the board when our fifth rounder from the Ravens came up.
That said, I’m liking that at least Dimitroff did trade down once before making the pick. So if the fifth rounder turns out to be someone decent, at least it isn’t a total waste.
One other thing to consider: Konz likely challenges for the starting job from day one. He’s bigger than either McClure or Hawley. And the strength thing isn’t as bad as advertised – he did 18 reps at the Combine, but he followed up with 23 reps at his Pro Day workout.
So we now have 12 linemen, and we only keep 9 or 10. We have three centers among them – one we just drafted, a young one who just showed he can fill in at guard if needed, and Todd McClure.
It will be sad to see him go, but there’s a good chance that when the final roster cuts are in, Ol’ Mud Duck will be put down like Ol’ Yeller.
Chub Rock
April 28th, 2012
4:26 am
I think it’s safe to say Thomas Dimitroff walks to the beat of a different drum. Every year he either drafts a guy that he could get as an UDFA or he drafts a guy 2 or 3 rds higher than he is projected. It’s almost like he’s afraid to succeed at the draft. A solid pick falls in his lap in Konz then he feels the need to go off into his Beautiful Mind BS with the Holmes pick. Lamar Holmes is a good draft pick but you do not have to use the 91st pick on Lamar Holmes. Dimitroff clearly falls in love with guys he scouts, there is no other way to justify such a pick at this position in the draft. For godsake man draft Lamar Holmes if you must but in the 5th RD. Heck you’ve got 2 picks there. I just don’t get it. The guy thinks he’s smarter than everybody else and it’s just not true. I don’t care if Lamar Holmes turns out to be a Hall of Fame LT, you could still get him in the 5th rd on present day earth. If Dimitroff is taking 6th rounders in the 3rd I’m afraid to watch the draft tomorrow. I guarantee he takes at least one guy tomorrow that does not project to even be drafted at all….probably in the 5th rd. Then in the 6th and 7th he’ll compensate for that by drafting guys who have fallen in the draft.
OHIOdirtybird!!!!
April 28th, 2012
5:07 am
OK for all the haters aka NON falcons fans…..There is 1 position and 1 position only that needed addressed this off season and we did it in the 2nd and 3rd round, Matty Ice aint gonna be anything without some time to throw the ball(watch the Giants game)….I know I know “we need a pass rush” ….Abe is back, Edwards healthy, Kroy(under Nolan system) along with Asante we will be fine…..this was a fine team last year(without a full off season)….we will be better with a full arsenal of BOTH!!!!
OHIOdirtybird!!!!
April 28th, 2012
5:22 am
and for the Mike adams haters/lover(and yes I’m a Buckeye)….He will be a solid starter in the league(I don’t know where he gets the hatred from, yeah he had some small shit like testing positive for pot ok, But he came out and acknowledged that he made a mistake and went and got drafted by the steelers….thats beside the point though, we didn’t get adams because he was an “ok” tackle….but we went and got probably the “best” Center in the draft and he can play other positions on the O-Line…..O yeah and we got another tackle just in case we need Konz as McClure replacement
marko
April 28th, 2012
6:26 am
Peter Konz was a great kick. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t see it coming. It seems pretty obvious that should the top rated center ,in this years draft, fall to us, we’d say thank you very much .Over the past few years, centers have ceased to be the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the offensive line. Just like Rodney, they didn’t get no respect. At any rate, Konz war arguably our best option at 55. Good move.
This brings me to the strange case of Lamar Holmes. Not considered particularly strong, fast or coachable. Said to be a better than average pass protector, and considered a good late round project player. He has no chance what so ever of starting at either tackle position. At least not in the near future. I’m sure he’s a good kid. With time and patience, we might even be able to make something out of him. The big question’s why a freaking project in the third round? He might help us long term, but in the long term we’re all dead. I’d like to see us win a super Bowl in my life time. I thought this kind of crap was over when then the Smith’s sold the team. I’ll stop now lest I use language that would force D3 to ban me from his fine web site.
YourPoliticalAnimal
April 28th, 2012
6:53 am
I was hoping FALCS would take the DE out of Marshall…Abraham is limited and Edwards is still an unknown commodity…but OL and DL issues have to also be addressed…Is UGA’s Boykin still available???…If so, let’s get some firepower to help field position…as for my Bills…we’re gonna kick some major heiny this fall…
Falcons Draft 2012: Day 2 O-Line Help - The Recycle Bin
April 28th, 2012
7:06 am
[...] Todd McClure has 1-2 years left in the tank, this seems like an insurance move for the future. Can Konz help now? “I can’t emphasize enough how important it is Konz can play both guard and center,” Falcons [...]
COOK1972
April 28th, 2012
7:21 am
Marko, i agree 100%.
You sound like you have been around sometime.
The Smiths signed a track star who could not catch the ball; a shot putt star (we’ll make a guard out off him”)
A basketball player (”..TE…”)
AND THE CLASSIC OF ALL TIME, they signed the laundry man (”..RB…”)…
At least Holmes was on a football team.
sam
April 28th, 2012
7:45 am
If you step back and think about it, TD is sending a very clear message to the team. We’re not going to tolarate “duece” getting hit 84 times, and we’re not going to tolarate failing to convert fourth and inches. So we now have a new OL coach and spent our first two draft choices to enhance competition for OL starting positions. I honestly can’t comment on whether the two guys we picked we the best ones available, but i do like the message that is being sent.
Fred Macmurray
April 28th, 2012
8:04 am
As Joe Tess Fishbreath would say,,, Isnt this guy Ijury Prune,,,
tfalcon
April 28th, 2012
8:36 am
@ Khaos man u can’not be a real Falcon fan how can u like the team when u hate everything they do, I’m sure I’m speaking for most fans when I say why dont u just become a taints fan cause we are all just tired of
ur bullsh!t post I mean ur like a bad custimer u just dont want nor need them
A Bust NO Matter What
April 28th, 2012
9:50 am
Why on earth did Dimitroff draft Holmes instead of Bobbie Massie? That was a no a no brainer. Dimitroff always thinks hes smarter than he is, and thats why most of his draft picks suck.
A Bust NO Matter What
April 28th, 2012
10:00 am
Marko great points. With Bobbie Massie sitting there waiting on Dimitroff to pull the trigger on a no brainer pick, and then he whiff’s. What an idiot. Homes was projected to go in the 5th rd. Dimitroff always outsmarts himself and thats why most of his drafts suck.
A Bust NO Matter What
April 28th, 2012
10:04 am
D Led you’re a freakin idiot I tried to post 2 comments and you somehow missed on both. And they were not bad . I guess you and Dimitroff are bed buddies and didn’t like the fact that i said most of his drafts suck.
torgo
April 28th, 2012
10:55 am
The reason why none of us saw Konz coming was that everyone thought he’d be long gone by the #55 pick. He simply fell in our laps.
Cook1972 – don’t forget the WR we drafted who was awaiting sentencing.
ghostwriter
April 28th, 2012
11:48 am
I like the picks. Matt Ryan needs help standing up, and we aggressively addressed those needs with our first two picks. It looks like Konz should have never fallen to the second round, and I don’t know much about Holmes, but apparently he’ll be good, too.
We’ve already addressed our secondary with signing Asante… so we’re looking pretty good.
Let’s keep it up today!
johnm
April 28th, 2012
12:10 pm
two ankle injuries in three years is hardly what id call injury prone. Its a rough sport and people get hurt, especially linemen who do their job
Sambo 4 Rambo
April 28th, 2012
12:10 pm
I wish you haters would go practice falling down, ill be over there in a minute (sniff)
Sly Ty
April 28th, 2012
12:32 pm
Initially I didn’t like the Lamar Holmes pick, but when you check his measurables, he compares well with the higher rated OT. He has really long arms as well, and is as quick as Matt Kalil, who was chosen with the 4th overall pick.