It’s doubtful that the Atlanta Falcons can make any louder noise than what they made during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Selecting Michael Penix Jr. perhaps changed the entire rest of the board for those that followed the Falcons after their No. 8 overall pick. In total, the team drafted eight players. But they weren’t finished there.
The Falcons continued to look for ways to improve their roster for the upcoming 2024 season by exploring the undrafted free agent pool. Alongside their eight drafted players, Atlanta then went out and signed 10 undrafted free agents.
Here they are:
- Isaiah Wooden, WR, Southern Utah
- Anthony Sao, CB, MidAmerica Nazarene
- Jayden Price, CB, North Dakota State
- Nolan Potter, OL, Northern Illinois
- Ryan Coll, OL, Richmond
- JaQuae Jackson, WR, Rutgers
- Austin Stogner, TE, Oklahoma
- Ryan Sanborn, P, Texas
- John Paddock, QB, Illinois
These 10 players now have a chance to make a name for themselves, earning a second chance of sorts to make an NFL team like the Falcons and begin their professional careers. It’s a long road to making the 53-man roster, where each of these undrafted free agents will have to make it through things like mini-camps and OTAs before the 2024 NFL season kicks off.
Looking at all 10 undrafted free agents the Falcons picked up, if we had to pick only one to make the 53-man roster on the next-to-last Tuesday before the regular season begins, it would probably be Northern Illinois offensive lineman Nolan Potter.
Northern Illinois’ Nolan Potter has best chance to make Falcons’ 53-man roster
Nolan Potter was just a two-star recruit out of high school in Iowa but quickly became a vital part of the Huskies’ offensive line. He was named first-team All-MAC by coaches in back-to-back seasons. He’s coming off his best year with Northern Illinois last season, starting in all 13 games.
Potter was a true right tackle, playing almost 800 snaps in 2023, and 2,956 in five seasons. The 6-foot-6, 301-pounder finished with a run-blocking grade of 72.6, pass-blocking grade of 81.2, and an overall offensive grading of 78.4 in 2023, per Pro Football Focus.
His 80-plus offense rating likely comes from his ability to effectively protect his quarterback. Potter allowed just one sack last season and gave up no more than two in any season while playing for the Huskies, accounting for only six. He also allowed just 10 quarterback hits and 42 hurries in five seasons. Run-heavy offense or not that Potter was in, those are still good numbers.
New Falcons head coach Raheem Morris feels pretty good about his team’s five offensive linemen coming back next season with guys like left tackle Jake Matthews, left guard Matthew Bergeron, right tackle Kaleb McGary, and right guard Chris Lindstrom.
“It’s just exciting,” Morris said, according to Sports Illustrated’s Falcons Report site. “Terry’s [Fontenot] done such a great job of acquiring talent, when you talk about Bijan Robinson, Drake London, an offensive line.
“Really, the offensive line is what steps out.”
The Falcons mainly focused on rebuilding their defensive front in the 2024 NFL Draft, with five of their eight draft picks going toward that area. Their only three offensive players were quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. Thankfully, the Falcons didn’t need to draft any of the 66 offensive linemen that were selected. However, having reliable, productive offensive linemen is something you can never have enough of in the NFL, which makes Potter the best undrafted free agent that could make the 53-man roster.
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