Devon Witherspoon or Christian Gonzalez? Falcons CB Precedence Says ...
The Atlanta Falcons are just days away from entering the free agency period, and with some $60 million in cap space to spend, all eyes are on how general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith go about dispersing the money.
But one position the Falcons aren't expected to address in free agency is cornerback. Atlanta has done significant work on the corners in the 2023 NFL Draft and appear to be heavily considering adding to the position at No. 8 overall.
Oregon's Christian Gonzalez and Illinois' Devon Witherspoon are viewed as the draft's two best corners, while Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. is the No. 3.
Who's better between Gonzalez and Witherspoon? That's likely going to be split across the NFL ... but where will the Falcons lean?
Both athletic, physical and highly instinctual, the biggest separating factor between Gonzalez (6-1, 197 pounds) and Witherspoon (5-11 1/2, 181 pounds) is size.
Do the Falcons have a preferred body type? Precedence gives a resounding "yes."
Since Smith and Fontenot arrived in Jan. 2021, they've added several corners via both draft and free agency. Consider the following ...
Casey Hayward: 5-11, 192 pounds
Darren Hall: 6-0, 190 pounds
Dee Alford: 5-11, 175 pounds
Cornell Armstrong: 6-0, 185 pounds
This is excluding the 5-9, 195-pound Avery Williams, who saw action at nickel corner as a rookie in 2021 before transitioning to running back. However, considering Williams was drafted primarily as a special teams weapon, he's not entirely applicable - but the height/weight numbers remain intact with the trend.
Falcons secondary coach Steve Jackson and assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray spent four years together (2006 through 2009) with the now-Washington Commanders, the former working as safeties coach and the latter as defensive backs coach.
In formal prospect meetings at the NFL Combine, Jackson and Gray were both present and involved with the cornerbacks, signaling their impact on the evaluation process.
During their time together in Washington, two corners were drafted ...
Justin Tryon: 5-11, 185 pounds
Kevin Barnes: 6-0, 180 pounds
These numbers are older, and philosophies absolutely change ... but both Jackson and Gray have been defensive backs coaches within the last few years and the numbers didn't change.
Just look at Gray alone - here's a look at the corners drafted at his most recent stops, the Minnesota Vikings (2014 through 2019) and Green Bay Packers (2020 through 2022) ...
Kendall James: 5-10, 180 pounds
Trae Waynes: 6-0, 190 pounds
Mackensie Alexander: 5-10, 192 pounds
Jack Tocho: 6-0, 202 pounds - now playing safety
Mike Hughes: 5-10, 186 pounds
Kris Boyd: 5-11, 195 pounds
Eric Stokes: 6-0, 194 pounds
Shemar Jean-Charles: 5-10, 183 pounds
Interestingly, nearly all of the safeties drafted in Gray and Jackson's stops have weighed in the 210-plus-pound range ... while the corners, sans the now-safety Tocho, have all been 195 pounds or lighter.
It's important to note that schematic fit overrules all else - but when players like Gonzalez and Witherspoon are so close, things like past precedence of body types can give an inkling of where teams may lean.
And while the tendency for smaller body types doesn't rule out Gonzalez, he'd buck many of the trends established by Fontenot, Smith, Jackson and Gray during their years on the job.
Ultimately, Atlanta's decision between Witherspoon and Gonzalez won't come down to just size - but considering the lengthy sample size of smaller corners coached by the Falcons staff, it may have a bigger impact on the end result than expected.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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