Konz: A big man from the Big Ten could fill a big Falcons need
An ascendant career path? Once a Badger, Peter Konz will become a Falcon. (AP Photo)
Flowery Branch – It was the aerialist Karl Wallenda who (supposedly) said: “To be on the wire is life; the rest is waiting.” For an NFL general manager, the essence of vocational life is the draft. It’s the time when a GM, who ordinarily works behind the scenes, takes center stage.
Pick a winner, and you’re the most sagacious human since Socrates. Pick a bum — or pick somebody your constituency doesn’t like — and you’re the bum. The draft is the equivalent of opening night on Broadway, and Thomas Dimitroff of the Falcons had to sit out this opener.
Granted, he had himself to blame. The five-for-one Julio Jones trade last spring shipped the Falcons’ 2012 first-round pick to Cleveland. Asked last week if it felt weird being sidelined for the draft’s Round 1, which is held on a Thursday night to much fanfare, Dimitroff said this:
“I’m not sure if ‘weird’ is the word. It’s something that we have set out since the beginning of last season knowing that we were going to be picking at 55 … It’s not as much of an impact for me during this time that I thought it might have been when we first made the [Jones] pick or in the few days after. I have enjoyed the process of being involved, thinking 55 over in the 20s, or 22 in our specific case, because it really forces an organization to come together.”
Then Dimitroff, bowing to cold reality, said: “At 55, we are a long way down.”
Well, yeah. An NFL active roster includes 53 players. A whole team’s worth of talent would be gone by the Falcons got around to choosing someone, and Dimitroff, try as he might, couldn’t really hype the product.
“It is very difficult to project what is going to be there in and around 45 to 55. That element of uncertainty adds an element of excitement, if you will. ”
Then, smiling: “I am trying to make this sound very, very positive for the masses. Suffice it to say we won’t be messing up any draft parties this year.”
A case could be made that the Falcons had trumped their draft by trading for the Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel on Wednesday. No matter who the Falcons took with the 23rd pick of Round 2, he won’t be, figuratively speaking, the biggest new man in shoulder pads when minicamp rolls around.
Not to say that the 23rd pick of Round 2 isn’t be a big man. He’s Peter Konz, who played center at Wisconsin but who was labeled a guard by the Falcons. He’s 6-foot-5. He weighs 314 pounds. He missed games in all three of his college seasons: Once with blood clots in each lung, twice with sprained ankles. For those holding memories of Peria Jerry, the Falcons’ No. 1 pick of 2009 who’d been injured at Ole Miss and whose NFL career hasn’t taken flight, you have your quibble.
On the plus side: Konz is a value pick who could help fill a crying need. He was ranked the draft’s best center. (Sorry, Ben Jones.) ESPN ranked Konz the 41st-best player available; NFL Draft Scout 300 slotted him 37th. Both Pete Prisco and Clark Judge of CBS Sports had him going in Round 1. When you’re sitting at 55, that’s not a bad find. And it’s better still when you recall the three failed fourth-and-1’s that defined the Falcons’ 2011 season.
The knocks on Konz are that he’s not particularly strong or fast — Konz did say he’d improved his bench press since a weak showing at the scouting combine — but this was a pick for need over want. Even if Dimitroff didn’t say it publicly, offensive line was always his target for the double-nickle choice. (And the Falcons took another O-lineman, tackle Lamar Holmes of Southern Miss, in Round 3.) The Falcons, see, have enough skill players; they’d gotten light on the big nasties.
Konz’s name rhymes with Fonz, who was all the rage in Milwaukee, which is likewise in Wisconsin, back in the ’70s. (Kids, ask your parents. Or watch “Nick At Nite.”) An offensive lineman from the Big Ten is never going to cut the same dashing figure as Henry Winkler in his leather jacket, but this wasn’t a nod to style. To have nabbed such a player two-thirds of the way through Round 2 could yield a substantial gain.
By Mark Bradley
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152 comments Add your comment
JONESBORO SLIM
April 28th, 2012
1:19 am
Whats all this crap from you “no nothing GM’s” as always you’re drinking the kool-aid from the TV talking heads…you people were praising the man early this week with the Samuels trade…but like a woman you can make up your mind about what dress to wear…. just because ESPN, NFL channel, the Sporting News, those old former GM’s and the great Chris Berman who broke every rushing NFL record when played said it …doesn’t make it right…
Tdawg
April 28th, 2012
1:22 am
Yea Falcon Jim, we could also use Bob Berry and Harmon Wages.
panic fan
April 28th, 2012
1:28 am
way 2 early to be making such negative remarks about 2 new players that have a chance to make our team better sprain in the ankle can be healed and repaired its how good he is on making line calls that matters most he is 1st round talent on our new beast for running screens with the quizzz we have many diffrent types of o line players now so its mix and match plug and play our oline has many more choices to find who will be on the field both these players can start remember how bad our line got last yr? 2012 new players new coaches new scheme ill take it win or just win
WeBurn
April 28th, 2012
2:27 am
An offensive lineman who isn’t strong…uh-oh.
wxwax
April 28th, 2012
3:01 am
Injury-prone.
Dimitroff has an Achilles heel and this is it. He falls in love with players who get hurt a lot.
Chub Rock
April 28th, 2012
4:23 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.
dudah
April 28th, 2012
5:50 am
Mark – enough skill players?? Who is going to return kicks & punts with Weems gone? (Coulda been Boykin with either pick)
Who is the next RB or TE? As this is clearly the last year for Turner & Gonzo..drafting a weak, injury prone center or guard (they don’t even know where he projects on the line) & a ‘huge’ project? Looks more like Bake & Jerry all over again to this long suffering fan
Greg
April 28th, 2012
6:19 am
Two (out of several) of my favorite comments so far:
Whopper Dawg: “So far, it is a typical TD draft, an injury prone, out of position guy that also is a step slow and not the strongest, and a reach in the third round.”
Chub Rock: “The guy thinks he’s smarter than everybody else and it’s just not true.”
Both you guys nailed it.
Nativebird
April 28th, 2012
6:28 am
Konx, big 10 lineman, need at center, best rated center in draft…GrEaT pick Dimitroff! Lamar from USM?…….not so much. TD just loves going “off board” on these diamonds in rough picks to prove somehow that HIS scouting guys somewhere are more brilliant than everybody else. It never works.
Falcons Draft 2012: Day 2 O-Line Help - The Recycle Bin
April 28th, 2012
7:06 am
[...] Konz is a value pick; top center in the draft. Is he injury prone? Not to say that the 23rd pick of Round 2 isn’t be a big man. He’s Peter Konz, who played center [...]
Lil Jimmy
April 28th, 2012
7:20 am
So this guy was projected by some as 1st rounder yet slipped all the way to 55 – in the 2nd round after every team retooled their draft board. I don’t understand our fascination with injury risks.
Lil Jimmy
April 28th, 2012
7:31 am
I think we will regret not taking Lavonte David. Time to end the Stephan Nicholas failed experiment.
The Moving Company
April 28th, 2012
7:39 am
Hello, is this Sam Baker?
Hi we have you down for a cross country move next Saturday. We hope you enjoyed your time in Atlanta.
Samuel
April 28th, 2012
7:46 am
IF THESE PLAYERS ARE REALLY GOOD, THEY MIGHT TAKE A STARTERS SPOT. IF NOT, MAYBE A GOOD BACKUP ROLE PLAYER.
Longtimefan
April 28th, 2012
7:49 am
So we have probably a dozen professional scouts and analysts with likely hundreds of combined years experience evaluating college and NFL talent who have spent the last several months of their life preparing for the draft, with inside knowledge of the players- and you guys that work at Home Depot or deliver mail or just sit on your a$$ at home think you know more than they do about the players! What a joke. Konz was projected as the best center by everyone and considered a first round by quite a few. I think TD knows a little more than you . And nobody wants Massie-obviously an issue the Home Depot clerks haven’t been informed about.
steven a smith
April 28th, 2012
8:02 am
Longtimefan
April 28th, 2012
7:49 am
Yes, you are correct!! Falcons did a great Job drafting Sam “THE BUST” Baker and Perria Waterboy Jerry. Yeah, 2 great 1st round Picks.
LONGTIMEFAN obviusly took the SHORT BUS to school!!!
MrHughes
April 28th, 2012
8:08 am
It’s funny seeing these folks threaten not to renew their season tickets. Clearly, they’ve never set foot in the Dome. Renewal date already passed guys. They alwawys get your money way before the draft. Haha!! Love these picks. We are building a mass of talent at online that is versitale. With that new coach (hill?) they will dominate.
11 year season ticket holder
Darkmancw
April 28th, 2012
8:18 am
To falconforlife & georgia sucks: Dumitoff does has something to do with this new stadium. He’s the one in charge of putting a championship product on the field which he has not done. My thing is this give this city what it wants which is a championship football team & they would be more than happy to give them a new stadium. Because the way Dumitoff, Smuth, & Dekay draft players this city will never get what it wants. So why should they!!!!!!! So you like no talent, no power in the upper body or legs injury prone linemans? WOW!!!!!! Sure glad you are not in the falcons the scouting department. You must be related to Dumitoff. Okay now i understand why!!!!
native atlantan
April 28th, 2012
8:36 am
Why is it that Atlanta sports are always middle of the road, not bad, but not great either. Middle of the road will never cut it in the world of sports. Falcons, Braves, Hawks and Thrashers are all examples, and obviously the Thrashers are gone because of this.
notso fast
April 28th, 2012
8:37 am
I hope i’m wrong but I am beginning to think TD thinks he is smarter than anyone else. Someday he will get lucky and one of his picks will turn out to be very good and we will all sing his praise. Hope this is the year.
GT
April 28th, 2012
8:43 am
We got what we needed. If we had higher picks we might of picked a CB but we traded for one instead, we will be fine. Estimating talent is the secret of team sports. Nobody does it better than New England, Dimitroff is from that school. Wes Welker was a free agent. Tom Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round.
Go back and look at the four and five star athletes recruited by Georgia over the last four years. Few even scratched the surface of what they were suppose to be. Is it the eye or the coaching? Considering Bill Belichick was not Don Shula when he came to New England I am saying it is the front office and a coach that doesn’t mess it up.
agent7g
April 28th, 2012
8:44 am
This is all about building depth. We finally have more depth in the secondary and now we will have more on the o-line.
Atticus
April 28th, 2012
8:49 am
Why not Brandon Boykin, he can be the punt and kick returner and also play some slot and RB while backing up at CB. The dude is a football player.
I like getting OL but I am not sold on Dmitroff’s record drafting lineman. Sam Baker, Garrett Reynolds, Joe Hawley and Mike Johnson.
Can someone tell me the status of Mike Johnson?
Mike Jay
April 28th, 2012
8:51 am
I don’t get the injury prone label being thrown on this guy. In 3 years starting he had a couple of sprained ankles and …… blood clots in his lungs. How on earth does that make someone injury prone? News Flash: Football is very physical and injuries can and will happen.
Atticus
April 28th, 2012
8:53 am
GT, you mean like Matthew Stafford and AJ Green and Alec Ogeltree and Jarvis Jones. You are an idiot. At least 5 stars go to UGA not to that pathetic ACC school on North Avenue.
And Dmitroff is not the Patriots, Belicheck and Pioli were the reason for their draft success. Dmitroff is good at building a team but his drafts have been mediocre, not one consistent pro bowler.
old man
April 28th, 2012
8:56 am
Dan Kadar has Konz ranked #16 overall in the first round: http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2012/4/24/2973249/2012-nfl-draft-overall-rankings
I hope we are all very pleasantly surprised by this pick. I think we could be.
The Falcons passed over 7 tackles on the SI Board to pick Holmes. I don’t think you do that unless you have a pretty substantial reason. We’ll see.
Bobbie Massie’s position on the SI Board list of tackles was passed over by 5 teams. The Dophins, Steelers, Browns, Chiefs, and Falcons all passed over him to pick a different OT. Is there some off-field issue here I have missed? Again, I don’t think you see that unless there is some information known around the league that would make him a risk. So I won’t question it.
My summary so far is that Konz could be as real find at #55, for G or C. I’m just curious about Holmes, why we jumped so far down to get him. TD may make mistakes, but he’s not an idiot.
And, I am very, very pleased that we are focused on O-Line. If we could average just three tenths of a second more time in the pocket, Julio could have a huge, huge year.
Bumblebee Tuna
April 28th, 2012
8:57 am
Falcon Jim: “Everyone on this post are potential candidates for the “Pessimist Club of Atlanta.”
I hope any ONE of you have the nads to admit you were an idiot if one, or both, of these guys turn out to be a good pick.”
Amen. Bicep circumference is not an official NFL stat the last time I checked. I seem to recall that Jessie Tuggle turned out to be a pretty darned good player and he went undrafted. Let these guys play some downs before the crying hits full stride.
Atticus
April 28th, 2012
9:03 am
Bumble, when you haven’t won a playoff game and haven’t drafted a consistent pro bowler in 4 years you are going to be open to criticism. They are big boys they can take it.
PaulieOldSchool
April 28th, 2012
9:03 am
I like the Konz move, mostly. Little concerned with the health issues, but I assume that they reviewed med records, etc. The Lamar Holmes move, on the other hand? Are you f***ing kidding me? We don’t need projects, man. We need people that can play ON THE FIELD from day one. I would have been waaaaaaaaaay happier with Brandon Thompson in this spot. SMH.
joe
April 28th, 2012
9:07 am
Another Sam Baker IMO – guy can’t stay healthy, lacks strength. Seems like a guy more suited to play in a zone blocking scheme.
GT
April 28th, 2012
9:07 am
It is all about gradually building up to a contender, no miracle drugs. The Falcons are winning more now than in their history. Most transients of Atlanta sport’s history have no appreciation of that. We have head shaved Archie Bunkers spraying spit on a open mike sizing up something from the window of a Greyhound bus before they have even gotten off of it. Like a guy showing up with black socks and sandles, electrically lite white legs applying for a lifeguard job in Southern California. Franchises learn by their mistakes and a lot of that learning process is learning to not listen to people like the press that have a lot to say without skin in the game. Atlanta sports teams are just now arriving to a maturity gained by years of mistakes, and are now showing it by winning.
That hockey team leaving town was about the only subject these carpetbaggers had an upper hand on in sport’s knowledge. It also generated the enthusiasm of a Jimmy Carter, Mitt Romney rerun. Sport’s teams here have got it right, grin at the uninvited gate crashers, who complain about what you are servicing and go back and cook some more grits. Life is good in Atlanta pro sports, if not the college sports of old.
old man
April 28th, 2012
9:10 am
@Chub Rock
I share your concern about picking Holmes so early. You have to think that they had some inside information that (1) Holmes is a lot better than his is listed on most boards, and (2) some coach at his school gave them some inside information that some other NFL team has told him he is going to be picked at a certain spot, and they need to preempt that. That’s the only explanation. I’m sure there is a lot of intelligence and counter-intelligence going on all the time. They would only drop down to get him if they felt sure he would be gone when their next pick came up. They might be wrong, but they would not do that out of thin air. They had to base it on something.
Atticus
April 28th, 2012
9:12 am
GT they are more consistent but they are NOT winning more. WInning is about playoffs and Super Bowls. Are they are better franchise as far as foundation? Agreed. But they are going to be open to scrutiny and that is part of the job. The fans pay their salaries. As a GM you don’t make moves based on fans opinions but you better win or ultimately the fans are the boss.
GT
April 28th, 2012
9:17 am
Carlton Thomas, Richard Samuel, Washaun Ealey,Zach Mettenberger,Caleb King,Isaiah Crowell ,,,
neil
April 28th, 2012
9:20 am
Let’s wait and see what happens. I trust the front office has the knowledege to get the job done. The negative comments don’t help. Go Falcons!
Atticus
April 28th, 2012
9:25 am
As you prove you are an idiot. You said no 5 star players “scratched the surface”. Then you back it up by listing Carlton Thomas, Ealey, Mett and Caleb King who were all 4 stars (Carlton was a 3 star) and then the two five stars Crowell who was the SEC offensive rookie of the year and Richard Samuel is a great kid but clearly overrated. But you fail to acknowledge the players I listed. Nice argument. And the fact that GT can’t even recruit five star players. GA will have 10 players drafted in the NFL next year. How about GT?
Red Dawn
April 28th, 2012
9:26 am
I wanted the Titans to pick Konz in the 2nd round last night!!
They need a center badly!!
GT
April 28th, 2012
9:48 am
Atticus your team is a Macy’s parade in Calhoun, Georgia. The mafia couldn’t fix a schedule with the tomato cans you have found for opposition.
ps check Scout rating for your “stars”. I don’t think we messed up Calvin J or Thomas and Hill went before anybody from Athens this year. Look if you find being sub par to South Carolina satisfying who am I to blow that happiness up, have at it pal.
Atticus
April 28th, 2012
9:57 am
I love the GT Maggotts, can’t back up anything with raw data. You bring up Calvin (stud by the way), Bay Bay and Stephen Hill going on front of GA players. Do you realize you idiot how many GA players are in the NFL compared to GT? Is not even close. Please bring something else to the table. We will have 10 players drafted next year. We were a very young team and we still played in the Championship so how is that sub par to SC? They have never won a conference championship which by the way GT never has either. Our opposition is the SEC. Who do you play? The ACC sucks. Losers bring up isolated cases of one year or one player but they ignore the body of evidence. Face it, Tech sucks and they always will suck. Ga has dominated them every decade and will continue to do so.
Snake doc
April 28th, 2012
10:01 am
Loved the line on 11alive news when Jerry Carnes was covering a presser about the falcons stadium plans and the cost to taxpayers.
Jerry repeatedly asked some smarmy little pencil neck a question along the lines of – If you don’t raise the expected revenue from the visitors tax to pay for the new stadium, can you guarantee that the taxpayers of Atlanta won’t see their taxes go up to cover the difference?
The smarmy little geek kept saying – “PUBLICLY” our stance is that we will raise the money to pay for the stadium with the hotel/motel (VISITORS) tax. Your clue here is the word “PUBLICLY”. So “PUBLICLY” the falcons and politicians want yo to know that they will raise the money to build the stadium via the visitors tax.
In typical Atlanta fashion and politician fashion people are counting their chickens before they’ve hatched. I would think if the price to visit Atlanta goes up because of a higher hotel/motel (visitors) tax, in this economy, your gonna get fewer visitors, therefore that tax will actually raise less revenue.
So “PRIVATELY” what the smarmy little pencil necked geek and Rich McKay and the Falcons know is that you as a taxpayer of Atlanta are gonna get screwed again when they don’t raise the expected revenue from the VISITORS TAX and they have to raise your taxes to pay for this boondoggle.
As for me, it Blank wants the stadium he can pay for it. If he doesn’t want to pay. No Stadium, simple as that.
Falcon228
April 28th, 2012
10:12 am
Ah the comments become way out of bound after so much time after an article is posted. Konz will fill the need the Falcons were looking for. Now his needs should and will be met. Conditioning, diet and expert medical monitoring will fill his needs. John Abraham arrived in Atlanta with chronic groin problems his former team, the Jets, seemed to ignore. We got him healthy. Konz is an outstanding talent. Look for this player to have many healthy years in a Falcon uniform.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
April 28th, 2012
10:18 am
It still doesn’t solve the 0-3 man behind center
Dimitroff is no Ozzie Newsome that’s for sure.
Thanks to him Cleveland was able to grab Trent Richardson and the Minnesota Vikings were able to rebuild their team.
When you don’t have a pick until half way through the second day of the draft, Houston you have a problem.
5 years and no playoff win is a failure. Say what you want about Mora Jr. but he remains the last coach to win in the playoffs
Falcon Jim
April 28th, 2012
10:23 am
Hey, UGA/GT little bitches, this is a FALCONS POST.
Vulture
April 28th, 2012
10:34 am
Lot’s of whining. The Falcons continue to solidify. Does anybody remember how in past good players did not want to come to Atlanta? No back to back winning seasons. An old motel in Suwanee to the new facilities Flowery Branch. Blank has made the Falcons into an extremely interesting diversion year in and year out.
bucko
April 28th, 2012
10:38 am
I cannot beleive you cry babies that put the best owner,gen. manger and coach the falcons have some class since these guys came to ATLANTA
bucko
April 28th, 2012
10:41 am
I cannot beleive you cry babies put down the people that has in the last 4 years has a winning record and added class to this team. All of you need to move to N O.
Michael
April 28th, 2012
10:42 am
I wondered about why we did not take Massie in the 3rd if we considered him in the 2nd before taking Konz, but then I read his scouting report and compared it to the report on Lamar Holmes. Look at their weaknesses:
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.
Massie:
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.
I am good with both of our picks
Michael
April 28th, 2012
10:45 am
@ Bucko, thank you. How quickly they forget what we had before this group. As to Mora, he had one winning season and won one home playoff game against an 8-8 team from the NFC West where the QB matchup was Michael Vick vs. Marc Bulger. Yes it was a playoff win but do not act like he was Lombardi now.
Jackson
April 28th, 2012
10:51 am
Konz will be the center of the future, Hawley the backup. Holmes? It is because he has great pass blocking skills. Massie was known NOT to have them and would have been project in this area. With a pass happy league, that could be a reason so many teams passed on him.
Carini
April 28th, 2012
10:54 am
Konz is a great pick at 55. Put him at right guard this year and move him to center next year after McClure retires. Mayock says he will start right away. I want a tackle out of Mississippi, but we got the wrong one. I wanted Massie from Ole Miss. I think we could have gotten Holmes in the 5th round. At least we did pick up a 5th round pick.