Best Atlanta Falcons all-time draft pick: Middle Linebacker
In the history of the Atlanta Falcons there haven't been many seasons where the team has been perusing the college ranks for a middle linebacker.
Usually the Falcons hit on a guy and find his heir before they move on to the next defensive signal caller. The names may not ring bells in the loudest of ways nationally, but some of the players that have manned the spot for the Falcons have been some of the best and most important players on their respective Falcons’ teams.
Jessie Tuggle was the first in the lineage that has led to the current middle man in Deion Jones. In between Tuggle’s timeline sits the era in which Keith Brooking ran sideline to sideline and stood back turned to the line of scrimmage in defensive huddles.
Curtis Lofton had a brief spell as a solid contributor to the Falcons’ middle linebacker legacy. Former number one overall pick Tommy Nobis Jr. Nobis spent 11 seasons with the Falcons. The success he experienced in his career has him hanging in the Falcons’ Ring of Honor in the Georgia Dome and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as does Tuggle.
Who was the best draft pick out of the bunch?
This is a bit of a trick question in regards to the middle linebacker position for the Falcons. Tuggle probably is remembered as the best player. His career spanned 13 years and he accumulated 1,809 tackles in that time. Tuggle was a popular player that helped the Falcons to their first SuperBowl appearance in 1999.
He’s ineligible as the answer to the question of who was the Falcons’ best draft pick as a middle linebacker. Tuggle wasn’t drafted by the Falcons or at all. Tuggle joined the Falcons out of Valdosta State University as an undrafted free agent.
That leaves Nobis as the Falcons’ best drafted middle linebacker. Nobis, ironically, was the Falcons’ first ever selection. He was chosen first overall by the Falcons in the 1966 NFL Draft as well as fifth overall by the Houston Oilers in the AFL Draft.
Nobis decided to become the first Falcon. He won rookie of the year and gathered an NFL record 294 total tackles in his first season as a professional.
Over his 11 seasons Nobis earned five pro bowl selections.
The on the field play ranks him as one of the two best players to play the position in Atlanta. The Falcons got their first pick right in Nobis.
