The Falcons have faith they have the right people in the building. Safety was one of those best of times, worst of times positions for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
When reminiscing on the Atlanta Falcons’ 2023 season, it’s likely that safety Richie Grant’s role isn’t among the first things to come to mind - at least not positively.
The NFL Draft is just over a week away, and it is the most pivotal in recent memory for the Falcons. They have a talented roster, and they went out and acquired a quarterback that makes them favorites in the NFC South.
The excellence of Jessie Bates could use some help, as who starts alongside him is likely not on the roster. After multiple seasons of using a combination of middling veterans and untested young players, the Atlanta Falcons decided to go above and beyond in addressing the major flaws at the safety position.
Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant had a rough game against the Arizona Cardinals before the bye. Grant allowed the 33-yard pass play that set up the Cardinals in field goal range, eventually leading to the game-winning field goal for Matt Prater against the Falcons.
The Falcons wanted to prevent a three-game slide before going into the bye week with the Saints waiting for them at the other end of it. Taylor Heinicke described the Week 10 contest as Atlanta’s Super Bowl.
The Atlanta Falcons defense has surprised many by its performance this season, especially players like safety Richie Grant in the secondary. Grant came up with a late interception against the team’s divisional rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Every young player needs a veteran or two to look up to. For Atlanta Falcons seventh-round rookie Demarcco Hellams, that's Jessie Bates III and Richie Grant.
Oh, the difference a year makes. For Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant, there's perhaps no better phrase to describe the ascension that's taken place in the last 12 months - primarily with little attention from the outside.
Breakout candidates come in many different shapes and sizes. The Falcons‘ roster features more than a handful of players that could establish themselves in 2023.
The Atlanta Falcons secondary looks very different today than it did at the end of last season. While A.J. Terrell, Richie Grant and Jaylinn Hawkins offer some carry-over from 2022, the team signed veterans Jessie Bates III and Mike Hughes, while trading for Jeff Okudah and drafting Clark Phillips III.
Atlanta has invested a lot to bring in Bates. Is that bet going to pay off? The Atlanta Falcons have enjoyed some excellent safety play throughout their history, and Jessie Bates has a chance to one day join that list of impact players.
The Atlanta Falcons have made a commitment to the safety position that is rather rare in today's NFL. They executed a gigantic splash with the signing safety Jessie Bates III away from the Bengals, and they already employed recent young premium NFL Draft pick Richie Grant.
Terry Fonteont was hired away from the Saints, who have a consistent history of trading around the draft. With the Falcons, the new regime has moved around in the second round of both cycles.
The Falcons have made trades in both of the new regime’s drafts. Terry Fontenot traded back in the second round, selecting Richie Grant in the 2021 cycle, then traded up in the 2022 second round to land Arnold Ebiektie.
When the Atlanta Falcons drafted UCF product Richie Grant No. 40 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, many expected the safety to make an immediate impact. And despite suiting up in all but one game, Grant's rookie campaign did not live up to those high expectations - playing roughly 25 percent of defensive snaps and finishing with 35 total tackles.
As the Atlanta Falcons inch closer to an ever-important offseason marked by a free agency period in which they'll have the second-most cap space at $56 million, several players are beginning to emerge as potential targets.
The Falcons can spend as much money in free agency as they want; without internal development, this team is going nowhere. Atlanta’s 2021 draft class took another step forward last season.
Last year, the Atlanta Falcons made Richie Grant the highest defensive selection in their draft class. This year, they have the opportunity to add his old college teammate from his UCF days, defensive lineman Kalia Davis.
Atlanta Falcons rookie safety Richie Grant was taken in the second round of the NFL Draft out of Central Florida. With previous starting safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen gone to Dallas and Cincinnati respectively, Grant has an excellent chance to earn a starting spot in 2021.
Using the Next Gen Stats NFL draft model, Mike Bend of NFL.com designated what would become the Falcons second-round pick in Richie Grant to be a starting-caliber talent that would be available after the first round.
Nobody has been advocating more for Richie Grant than me. Back in March, I said that taking Grant with the 35th pick would satisfy both a need and best player available.
The Falcons moved down from No. 35 overall to No. 40, scoring Grant and adding a fourth-round choice in the process.
The Richie Grant scouting report wouldn’t be complete without first discussing his rise to stardom. Grant was not a highly touted prospect coming out of high school in Florida.
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