Falcons 'Very Encouraged' by Rookie Class Fast Training Camp Start

From top to bottom, the Atlanta Falcons' rookie class has been strong during training camp - and coach Arthur Smith is "very encouraged" from what he's seen out of the group. Here's why.

Optimism is the name of the game for rookies across the NFL as training camp kicks off, and the Atlanta Falcons are no different - but thus far, there's legitimate substance to back it up.

Sure, pads have yet to come in, and Falcons coach Arthur Smith made sure to note that things should be taken "with a grain of a salt" ... but throughout the start of the summer and now leading into camp, early returns have been quite positive.

When asked about the Atlanta's rookie class, Smith declared he was "very encouraged" by the group he and general manager Terry Fontenot compiled this spring.

But, why?

In short, it's been a mixture of splash plays and intangibles, the latter of which being something Smith and Fontenot felt particularly confident in leaving the draft.

It starts at the top with running back Bijan Robinson, who made a stellar one-handed grab after beating linebacker Troy Andersen in a one-on-one drill and has impressed with his confidence, athleticism and versatility.

The Falcons made Robinson the highest-drafted ballcarrier since Saquon Barkley in 2018 for a reason - they felt he could make an immediate impact, and thus far, Smith has seen a well-rounded skill set that has only heightened this belief.

"Bijan - we’re not tackling - but he had some runs I thought would’ve popped," Smith said. "He hits it, he’s natural with his tracks. ... You’ve seen his versatility. There’s a lot of things he can do all over the field. He’s a unique athlete. Probably thought he scored on one or two of them down there in the red zone.

"He’s doing a really good job so far.”

The same is true for Atlanta's second-round pick, Matthew Bergeron, who's making the transition from tackle in college to left guard as a professional.

During OTAs and minicamp, Bergeron spent much of his time working with the second and third teams, and he started training camp the same ... but an injury to incumbent Matt Hennessy opened the door for the former Syracuse standout, and he's capitalized on it.

Smith noted that Bergeron "will need to work (on) his hands," but he's already made strides in that area and held his own while working with the first team in multiple sessions to close the opening week of camp.

“Berg did a nice job these past few days - [I’m] very pleased," Smith said. "You feel his strength out there. His hands look pretty good so far, but we won’t know until we get down and actually get into the games. But you can feel him out there; he moves well, he looks pretty natural so far.

"So that part, in all sincerity, is really encouraging.”

Continuing the trend of Atlanta's top picks impressing, third-round selection Zach Harrison was singled out as a standout rookie by Smith after recording a would-be sack on quarterback Logan Woodside.

Beyond the actual skills that generated the sack, Harrison's intellect to pull up and not "do the helmet taps," as Smith phrased it, proved to be a small but valuable instance of the aforementioned intangibles that drew Atlanta's front office to the former first-team All-Big Ten honoree.

For Smith, this showed that the Falcons "have got the right guys," and served as an "encouraging sign" for Harrison's long-term upside, which has been further solidified by a strong early showing in which he's largely dominated Atlanta's backup offensive linemen.

Better yet, Smith hailed the 21-year-old Harrison's upside, noting he was a true senior last season at Ohio State as opposed to a 25-year-old, seventh year senior, and with his athletic profile and 6-6, 272-pound build, there's still plenty more to come.

"He’s got a lot of room to develop," Smith said. "He’s got so much growth potential. And then, he’s in a really good room with a really good developmental coach, that there’s not all this pressure, so we can build him up the right way. Now, if he’s ready to roll Week 1 and needs to start, he’ll do that. But the signs are encouraging.

"Just the fundamentals and techniques, down after down, makes a mistake, comes back and actually corrects it - those are the kind of things you see."

Harrison arrived with the reputation of being something of a project and wasn't expected to be a significant contributor early - but he's quickly starting to change that narrative.

It's a similar story for Clark Phillips III, Atlanta's fourth-round selection who's firmly in the mix to start at nickel corner and has been a clear winner from the early portion of camp.

Whether it was his interception in coverage against star wideout Drake London or the several quality reps he's posted in one-on-ones, Phillips has "made some obvious splash plays," per Smith, and showed off the high-level instincts that made him the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Smith added that Phillips has proven to be able to respond to adversity, coming back from bad reps and continuing to make plays. It's part of why Smith said Phillips is "fun to coach" and he's glad to have the former Utah star in his secondary.

Perhaps the most promising aspect about Phillips' start is the consistency behind it - rather than just an occasional flash, he's been a steady standout throughout camp and has absolutely lived up to, if not exceeded, the expectations that Smith and staff had for him upon arrival.

"Clark continues to do something every day that catches our eye, which is good," Smith said. "It’s why we wanted him here."

From a broader perspective, the quartet of Robinson, Bergeron, Harrison and Phillips were supposed to be impactful - they were all selected inside the first 115 picks, and Phillips was projected to go much earlier than he ultimately did.

And so, while those four players being off to good starts is paramount to Atlanta's success, not to be lost in the shuffle is that the rookie class has been strong from top to bottom.

Each of the Falcons' seventh-round picks - safety DeMarcco Hellams and interior offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn - have been solid during camp, while the undrafted group, albeit small, looks like it could produce multiple players onto the roster.

Hellams had arguably his best practice session as a Falcon on Saturday, intercepting a pass by Logan Woodside to end the day and drawing praise from Smith shortly thereafter.

“DeMarcco is doing a nice job," Smith said. "I think he’s done a really good job as a communicator back there and he’s a guy that I’m really excited to see in the preseason. We’ll see how that translates.”

Atlanta's had undrafted free agents make the roster in each of Smith's first two years, and there's certainly a chance that trend continues this year.

The best candidate appears to be Carlos Washington Jr., who's in a battle with recently signed ballcarrier and returner specialist Godwin Igwebuike for the No. 4 running back spot.

But Washington Jr. has impressed the rest of Atlanta's offense, including star offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson, running backs coach Michael Pitre and Smith, who's certainly intrigued by what he's seen thus far.

“He’s got a great opportunity," Smith said. "He’s impressed us every day. [Washington], D.C. kid, went to Riverdale Baptist [High School], really smart football player. He’s impressed [us] and he’ll have a lot of opportunities in the preseason.”

Beyond Washington, another undrafted name to remember is receiver Zay Malone, who brings an element of explosiveness to Atlanta's wideouts room matched only by Scotty Miller.

Throughout camp, Malone has made a number of plays and drew impromptu praise from Smith, who was originally discussing the value that Miller's field-stretching speed brings to the table.

"You can certainly feel Zay Malone’s speed too," Smith said.

And so, whether it's Robinson's versatility and "unique" athleticism, Bergeron's strength and movement skills, Harrison's ceiling and coachability, Phillips' instincts and splash plays, Hellams' communication skills, Washington Jr.'s smarts, Malone's speed, or anything else ...

There are certainly plenty of reasons for Smith and the Falcons to be "very encouraged" by the rookie class's early returns - and really, the group is just getting started.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick

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