Jalen Mayfield is Way Ahead of Schedule
Jalen Mayfield has all the potential in the world. Coming out of high school he was a but undersized, but he's got the size now at north of 320 pounds. He still possesses the high-level athleticism that made him a great basketball player and immediate impact guy at Michigan. Now, he's well on his way to making waves for the Atlanta Falcons, who drafted Mayfield in the third round of this year's NFL Draft.
Falcon Report recently broke down why Mayfield may end up being the guy at right tackle for the Falcons when the season rolls around.
Yesterday the Atlanta Falcons placed starting tackle Kaleb McGary and reserve offensive lineman Matt Gono on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
This has left an opening for rookie third-round pick Jalen Mayfield to log snaps with the first team at right tackle. According to reports from Flowery Branch, Mayfield worked with the starters to open camp on Thursday.
Mayfield lined up with guards Chris Lindstrom and Josh Andrews, center Matt Hennessy, and left tackle Jake Matthews.
While Mayfield wasn't being counted on to play with the first team this early in his young career, the 6-5 and 328-pounder is exactly the type of player that new coach Arthur Smith likes: tough, aggressive and mean.
READ MORE: Jalen Mayfield is a Perfect Fit for Arthur Smith Offense
Mayfield had a relatively brief career with the Michigan Wolverines. He played in three games as a freshman before earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2019 as a sophomore.
He initially opted out of 2020 before returning, but an injury limited him to just two games.
Mayfield was drafted by the Falcons after only having played 18 games with 15 starts at offensive tackle for Michigan.
Getting action with the first team early in camp will exponentially accelerate a rookie who is not only inexperienced in the NFL, but as a college player as well.
