Falcons Rookie Report: Desmond Ridder Rises, Drake London Hurt

A lot to like from the Falcons rookie class, but there's a little concern there.

Author:
Jeremy Brener and Daniel Flick
Publish date:
Aug 14, 2022 11:50 AM EDT

The Atlanta Falcons have high hopes from their rookie class this season, and a majority of them will see a considerable amount of playing time in the preseason.

That could lead to a heavy dosage of snaps in the regular season if they play well enough, but the tests for these rookies start before their career even begins.

Here's a look at every rookie from tonight ...

DRAKE LONDON

London looked strong on his first catch, a 24-yard catch to convert on 1st-and-20, but that was the end of the No. 8 overall pick's night. London suffered a knee injury and was held out for the remainder of the game. After the injury, London was seen on the sidelines catching balls, leaving people to believe that the injury isn't too serious.

ARNOLD EBIKETIE

Ebiketie recorded a quarterback hit in his preseason debut. He played 21 defensive snaps throughout the game.

TROY ANDERSEN

Andersen did not play in Friday's preseason opener, likely as a precaution to prevent the second-round linebacker from injuring himself.

DESMOND RIDDER

Ridder played the final three quarters, finishing 10 of 22 for 103 yards and two touchdowns while adding 59 yards on six carries, all off structure.

DEANGELO MALONE

Third-round outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone recorded a tackle for loss in 31 defensive snaps.

TYLER ALLGEIER

Allgeier had three carries for 25 yards, debuting in the second half. The fifth-round pick out of BYU ran hard and proved difficult to tackle.

JUSTIN SHAFFER

Shaffer saw action with the third-team offensive line alongside Ryan Neuzil, Jonotthan Harrison and Tyler Vrabel.

JOHN FITZPATRICK

FitzPatrick played in only four snaps in his NFL debut and seven tight ends played more snaps than he did.

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS

Ferris State wide receiver Jared Bernhardt caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Ridder. The 21-yard reception was his only catch of the game.

Colorado linebacker Nate Landman had several sound reps filling inside gaps against the run, and played a team-high 87 percent of the team's defensive snaps.

Free agent nose tackle Timothy Horne collected a fumble that led to Ridder's game-winner, and punter Seth Vernon had three punts for 134 yards (44.7 yards per punt), including two inside the 20.