The Falcons kicked off mandatory minicamp today, and are also hosting six players for tryouts. There’s a mix of veterans and UDFAs, including former Steelers DL Isaiah Buggs and Jaguars LB Dakota Allen.
The Atlanta Falcons kick off their mandatory minicamp today, which is the first “mandatory” part of the offseason program thus far. We should see pretty much everyone on the 90-man roster out there this week, with the exception of those rehabbing injuries. This will be the most extended look of the offseason at Atlanta’s starters, and we’ll be watching closely for any shreds of interesting intel.
In addition to the 90-man roster, the Falcons are also hosting six tryout players. Per ESPN’s Mike Rothstein, Atlanta has the following players at the facility today (plus C Jonotthan Harrison, who Rothstein added in a future tweet).
Five tryout players for the Falcons:
LB Dakota Allen
DL Isaiah Buggs
OL Adam Coon
DL Jalen Dalton
WR Emeka Emezie— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) June 14, 2022
LB Dakota Allen is a former seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams who played his college football at Texas Tech. He was waived during final cuts and bounced around a bit during his rookie season in 2019, with stints on the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars. He stuck with the Jags and played a significant special teams role from 2020-2021, with over 500 snaps on teams in two seasons.
DT Isaiah Buggs is a former sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2019 NFL Draft. A former JUCO transfer, Buggs won a CFP Championship with Alabama in 2018 in a breakout season where he posted 9.5 sacks on the interior. He spent his first three seasons in Pittsburgh, but was waived at the end of 2021. Buggs has primarily played a rotational and depth role, but had some production last year with 17 total tackles and 2.0 TFL.
OL Adam Coon is an interesting story. While he was on the football team at Michigan, he never actually played a snap—but does have experience at OL and LB from his high school days. Instead, Coon was an elite Greco-Roman wrestler, winning silver at the 2018 World Championships and gold at the 2019 Pan-American Wrestling Championships. He signed with the Tennessee Titans for training camp in 2021, but wound up on IR.
DT Jalen Dalton is a former UDFA from the 2019 NFL Draft class. He played college football at UNC, where he posted some quality production over his final two seasons: 50 total tackles, 12.5 TFL, and 6.5 sacks in just 16 games. He signed with the New Orleans Saints and apparently impressed in multiple training camps, but struggled with injuries. At 6’6, 283, Dalton has imposing size and could potentially play a 3-4 DE role. He also tested out with an elite 9.10 RAS.
WR Emeka Emezie is a UDFA from the 2022 NFL Draft class who played college football at NC State. Emezie had his most productive season in 2021, posting 60 receptions for 802 yards (13.4 YPR) and 6 TDs. He certainly appears to fit the Falcons’ profile at receiver, as he’s listed at 6’3, 220.
C Jonotthan Harrison is a former UDFA of the Indianapolis Colts from all the way back in 2014. Despite his UDFA status, Harrison not only made the team, but wound up starting 10 games in his rookie season. He would spend 2014-2016 with the Colts before signing with the Jets in 2017, where he’d stick around through 2019. Harrison has since bounced around the New York teams, spending time with the Giants and Bills over the past two seasons. He’s an experienced veteran with over 42 starts under his belt at center.
What do you think about these tryout players? Any that you’re hoping Atlanta will end up signing?
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