Atlanta Falcons 2020 NFL Draft pick analysis: Matt Hennessy
Flexibility and depth are two things that NFL teams love to address with later selections during the draft. Third-round pick Matt Hennessy fills both of those needs for the Atlanta Falcons.
Even after signing a pair of guards and drafting two additional offensive linemen in the first round last offseason, the Falcons entered the 2020 offseason with question marks behind their starters in the middle of the offensive line. The Falcons then released Ty Sambrailo, who was arguably the team's most versatile lineman, in March.
Hennessy is another piece to help the Falcons rebuild their offensive line. He started three years at center for Temple in college, but Hennessy figures to be the first offensive lineman off the bench this season should there be an injury to either of the starting guards or center in Atlanta.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn also isn't ruling out Hennessy starting at left guard.
"Let's see where it plays out," Quinn said according to Atlantafalcons.com after the Falcons picked Hennessy at No. 78 overall in the third round. "To have the traits to know that it's an interior player, a center and a guard. Having that versatility actually allows you to have more strength to play [multiple positions]. We'll start him at guard for certain. As far as where Alex goes, he's still playing at a high level, as far as past 2020, there's a lot of time before it gets to that."
Hennessy will compete with James Carpenter and Jamon Brown, both of whom were free agent signings last year, for the starting left guard spot. If Hennessy wins the job and everyone remains healthy through the summer, both starting guards and the starting right tackle for the Falcons will either be rookies or second-year players.
But Quinn also eluded to the potential long-term plan for Hennessy. Falcons starting center Alex Mack is 34 years old and is set to be a free agent next spring. If he returns to Atlanta, he'll have to accept a smaller salary because the Falcons are will likely be up close against the cap again, and that's assuming the team identifies him as a player still worth having as a starting center. Mack struggled last season, and the fear is it was due to his age.
If Hennessy doesn't win the starting job at left guard, he could easily learn behind Mack and fill in wherever needed when injuries happen during 2020. Then next year, he could become the Falcons starting center.
Listed at 307 pounds and running a 5.18 40-yard dash, Hennessy isn't overly big or athletic, but he has lateral quickness and brings a lot of positive intangibles. He has lots of experience from college as well with 35 starts at Temple.
While Hennessy doesn't have the high ceiling that a lot of teams look for in latter draft picks, he was a solid selection in the third round. He's going to bring depth and hopefully some additional stability to a Falcons unit that has badly been needing that for years.
Either this year or next, Hennessy could easily find himself in the starting lineup too.
