Leading up to the 2024 NFL draft, many around the league believed the Atlanta Falcons would select an edge rusher in the first round. With Alabama’s Dallas Turner on the board at pick No. 8, the Falcons went in different direction by taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
This pick shocked fans and analysts since the quarterback position wasn’t an immediate need. Plus, the team didn’t re-sign its top two sack leaders — Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree — from the 2023 season.
The Falcons later drafted Washington’s Bralen Trice in Round 3, but it’s clear that they didn’t view the edge rusher position as a major need. While this is likely due to head coach Raheem Morris’ belief that interior pressure can be just as effective, it may also be a sign that the team still believes in Arnold Ebiketie.
The former second-round pick out of Penn State put up career numbers in his second season. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar named Ebiketie as Atlanta’s most underrated player on the 2024 roster:
Last season, the Falcons had just 29 sacks from their edge defenders, which wasn’t exactly impressive. And Bud Dupree, the team leader with eight sacks, is now with the Chargers. So, someone is going to need to step up from the edge.
It could be that Arnold Ebiketie, selected in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Penn State, is ready to do just that. Last season, on just 175 pass-rushing snaps, Ebiketie amassed seven sacks and 28 total pressures. As the Falcons didn’t do a ton in the draft or free agency to accentuate their outside pass-rush, it’s possible that the team sees Ebiketie as the proverbial Next Man Up. — Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire
Ebiketie has yet to post elite sack totals, but he’s a promising young talent who should have every chance to succeed in Jimmy Lake’s defense this season. The Falcons still have Lorenzo Carter, who can start if the team doesn’t believe rookie Bralen Trice is ready.
It won’t take long for Atlanta’s pass rush to be tested. In Week 2, the Falcons take on the Philadelphia Eagles before hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3.
