Ex Cowboys QB Among 42 Players on Falcons Rookie Minicamp Roster

The Atlanta Falcons started rookie minicamp Friday afternoon at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch, Ga., and had an extensive group of players take the field.

Atlanta released its 42-player roster at the start of Friday's practice, which head coach Raheem Morris said beforehand was mostly an installation session.

Here's the full list of players on the Falcons' rookie minicamp roster, headlined by five draftees, 11 undrafted free agents, 21 tryouts and five non-rookies already on the team's 90-man roster.

Rookies

DRAFT PICKS:
Jalon Walker, outside linebacker
James Pearce Jr., outside linebacker
Xavier Watts, safety
Billy Bowman Jr., defensive back
Jack Nelson, offensive tackle

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS:
Cobee Bryant, cornerback
Dontae Manning, cornerback
Nick Nash, receiver
Quincy Skinner Jr., receiver
Joshua Simon, tight end
Joshua Gray, offensive lineman
Jordan Williams, offensive lineman
Simeon Barrow Jr., defensive lineman
Nathan Carter, running back
Nick Kubitz, linebacker
Malik Verdon, safety/linebacker

Tryouts

Ben DiNucci, quarterback
Zak Wallace, running back
Ajani Williams, receiver
Lawrence Arnold, receiver
Deven Thompkins, receiver
Juan Davis, tight end
Kamari Morales, tight end
Michael Gonzalez, offensive lineman
Carson Heidecker, offensive lineman
Kevin Hester Jr., defensive lineman
Marlon Taylor, defensive lineman
Caleb Johnson, linebacker
Ozzie Nicholas, linebacker
Kam Alexander, cornerback
James Jones IV, cornerback
Christian Matthew, cornerback
Quinten Johnson, defensive back
Kristian Story, defensive back
KJ Wallace, defensive back
Trenton Gill, punter
Hunter Rogers, long snapper

Current Falcons, non-rookies

Emory Jones, quarterback
Makai Polk, receiver
Matthew Cindric, offensive lineman
Joey Fisher, offensive lineman
Lenny Krieg, kicker

The two most prominent tryout players on Atlanta's roster are quarterback Ben DiNucci and receiver Deven Thompkins.

DiNucci, a seventh-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, played in three games with one start as a rookie. He completed 23 of 43 passes 219 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. The stretch marked DiNucci's last regular season action.

Now 28 years old, the Atlanta native has since made stops with the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons along with summer and/or practice squad stints with the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints.

Thompkins, 25, has experience as both an offensive weapon and return specialist. After going undrafted in 2022, Thompkins played in five games and made one start as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2023, Thompkins appeared in all 17 games and made another start. He caught 17 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown while adding eight carries for 56 yards. Thompkins returned 16 kicks for 327 yards (20.4 yards/return) and 25 punts for 234 yards (9.4 yards/return).

The Buccaneers released Thompkins during OTAs in 2024. He signed with the Carolina Panthers in July and appeared in seven games, catching four passes for 20 yards and rushing twice for seven yards. He averaged 26.8 yards per kick return on five attempts and returned five punts for 19 yards.

Thompkins continued his journey around the NFC South with the Falcons on Friday. The quality of his three-day tryout may dictate whether he gets to lengthen his stay.