Falcons Training Camp Notebook: Rookies Desmond Ridder, Drake London Have Strong Day
The Atlanta Falcons hit the field today for the second time of training camp's second week.
The Falcons enter 2022 looking to improve on a 7-10 record from last season, the first of the new regime headlined by coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot.
With training camp well underway, the Falcons face several questions, but have a month and a half to find the solutions.
Here's everything of note on offense from the sixth day of camp ...
ROOKIES HAVE STANDOUT DAY
Quarterback Desmond Ridder's second day with pads on went better than his first, in large part due to more reps. Ridder was crisp with his ball placement and showed he can drive the ball down the field, hitting receivers in stride.
One of those wideouts was Drake London, who Ridder connected with multiple times on Tuesday, including a 30-yard gain. London had a few positive reps against Falcons' No. 2 corner Casey Hayward, though did struggle when put up against star corner A.J. Terrell.
Ridder struggled a bit more than Atlanta's starting quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in the "2 minute" drill, but still made multiple impressive passes and ultimately had one of his best days yet.
Several other rookies had strong days, including guard Justin Shaffer, running back Tyler Allgeier, and receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jared Bernhardt.
Shaffer's largely been with the third and fourth team but had a positive rep in 1-on-1 drills. With pads now on, Allgeier's physical running style has shined, highlighted by a rookie-on-rookie crime that featured him running over linebacker Nate Landman.
Berryhill has consistently created separation throughout camp while also being a reliable target, with Day 6 including his first drop. Still, he's a quick, nuanced route runner who simply gets open. Bernhardt is similar, with the former lacrosse star impressing the Falcons' staff off the field and showcasing a solid release package.
Berryhill and Bernhardt are likely to be practice squad players but look for them to be significant contributors throughout the preseason.
JALEN MAYFIELD'S TOUGH CAMP CONTINUES
As alluded to with Shaffer, Tuesday featured the first day of offensive line vs. defensive line 1-on-1's. Unfortunately for second year left guard Jalen Mayfield, the session wasn't very kind.
Facing undrafted rookie Derrick Tangelo, Mayfield was beaten almost instantly off the snap, as he was slow out of his stance and over-aggressive at the punch, lacking balance, pad level, leverage and timing.
Tuesday marked Mayfield's fifth consecutive practice out of the starting lineup, as free agent addition Elijah Wilkinson seems to grow his advantage more and more by the day. Mayfield also lost reps to Nick Thurman and Bryce Rodgers.
While Mayfield had a rough day, running back Cordarrelle Patterson believes the offensive line as a whole had a bounce back performance after struggling during the first day with pads on. Patterson and the rest of Atlanta's running backs had a slightly better day Tuesday, but the ground game has been difficult to get going thus far.
FELEIPE FRANKS CONTINUES TO IMPRESS AT TIGHT END
After signing with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent quarterback, Feleipe Franks has experienced a whirlwind of a first 15 months as a professional. Now largely playing tight end, Franks had a strong minicamp and has carried the momentum over into training camp.
At 6-6, 234 pounds, Franks has a stout frame filled with athleticism. His size and fluidity made him an interesting tight end convert, but it takes much more than physical talent to make it in the NFL. Thus far, Franks has more than been up to the challenge of adding nuance to his game.
Franks has already shown the ability to stack defenders off the line and incorporate head fakes at the top of routes. Deception is the name of the game in route running and Franks is making big strides there in a quick manner. Further, the 24-year-old has displayed natural hands and refined technique at the catch point.
Tuesday was an all-around strong day for Atlanta's tight ends, as nobody could cover Kyle Pitts. The 21-year-old is simply bigger, faster, strong and quicker than whoever the defense puts in front of him.
Back to Franks, the former Arkansas Razorback is becoming a favorite target for Ridder underneath and downfield. While he still has to prove he can succeed as a blocker, Franks has clearly shown he has upside as a field-stretching, big-slot tight end, a far cry from the project quarterback many thought he was out of college.
