The Falcons were pressed up against the cap this offseason, which caused starting nose tackle Dontari Poe to join the Carolina Panthers in free agency.
For the most part, third-round picks aren’t supposed to be immediate starters in the NFL. However, either Senat or post-draft signing Terrell McClain will be starting at nose for Atlanta’s defense.
Since their hands were tied, they’ll now have to rely on a mid-round rookie or a late free-agent signing to address the position.
A bit of a one-year wonder in a Group of Five conference, Senat has not spent years dominating against NFL-caliber offensive linemen like the other starters on the defensive line do. If he wins the job, he may have to take some bumps and bruises early.
As a rookie, Shaq Lawson had to recover from shoulder surgery before setting foot on an NFL field in late October. Last year, he finished the season on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in early December.
First of all, he’s super smart, quarterback Jared Goff told NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest on Wednesday’s edition of NFL Total Access. He knows what he’s doing. At the same time, though, I think he’s got absolutely no ego and is just trying to help us win.
Obviously he’s done a tremendous job so far, and so far this offseason you’ve seen his want to push it even further. And we’re right there with him. It’s an exciting time.
It’s no secret that McVay is exceptionally bright. When Dan Orlovsky arrived at Rams training camp last summer, the former Lions backup quarterback recently relayed on Good Morning Football, he turned to Goff and said, Bud, you have no idea how lucky you are. This guy’s brilliant.
The key that unlocks the Holy Grail of championship-level football is a quarterback possessed of coach-like powers of perception at the line of scrimmage. Going back nearly a full century to the golden days of Notre Dame’s fabled Four Horsemen backfield, legendary coach Knute Rockne had established the platonic ideal of offense with quarterback Joe Stuhldreher functioning as the head coach’s alter ego out on the gridiron.