Falcons Rookie Report: Who Looks Good After Preseason Finale?

From rookie minicamp a few weeks after the draft to the end of the preseason, the Atlanta Falcons now have a full bank of knowledge on general manager Terry Fontenot's second crop of rookies. By all accounts, the early returns have been extremely promising.

In total, quarterback Desmond Ridder finished his first preseason 34 of 56 for 431 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 60.7 percent of his passes.

Both of Ridder's interceptions, along with the lone two times he was sacked, came Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he still led three touchdown drives of 75 yards or further and impressed with his accuracy.

Even moving Ridder aside, several rookies stood out against the Jaguars during the Falcons' 28-12 win, including running back Tyler Allgeier, defensive tackles Timothy Horne and Derrick Tangelo, pass rushers DeAngelo Malone and Arnold Ebiketie, and linebackers Troy Andersen and Nate Landman.

Allgeier had a pair of touchdowns - one on the ground and another through the air - on just nine touches. Horne deflected two passes at the line of scrimmage, while Tangelo and Ebiketie made a living in the backfield, recording two tackles-for-loss apiece. Tangelo also had a sack and a quarterback hit.

Malone deflected a pass in space and recovered a blocked punt that set up Atlanta's second touchdown. Andersen and Landman tied for the fourth most tackles on the day for the Falcons' defense, totaling four each. Both players deflected a pass, while Landman added a sack, quarterback hit and interception.

Most of the rookies Atlanta brought in post-draft are still on the team following the first two rounds of cuts. The big test will come Tuesday, but there's a solid shot that all eight draft picks make the team, and an additional two more from the undrafted bunch slide in as well.

Regardless, the practice squad should be littered with rookies, as the Falcons saw several high-level performances from the class throughout the preseason.

Next up for the group is the regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints, coming Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.