When quarterback Feleipe Franks made the Atlanta Falcons roster as an undrafted rookie, fans' imaginations started running wild. The 6-6, 234-pounder known for pairing a big arm with impressive athleticism flashed during the preseason, creating an interesting project for head coach Arthur Smith.
However, the project that many anticipated - turning Franks into a professional quarterback - has now shifted to best utilizing his physical traits. One such way is aligning the 24-year-old at tight end, which he's done considerably more in his second offseason in Atlanta than he did his first. Smith isn't going to restrict Franks to just one position, though.
“Feleipe is still working in that (quarterback meeting) room. He's a valuable football player for us. He’ll take some reps at quarterback," Smith said. "Put Feleipe in that hybrid category.”
According to offensive coordinator Dave Ragone, Franks is "working more at tight end than at quarterback." Ragone also mentioned that it's possible this doesn't remain the same moving forward, making Franks' situation an interesting one to monitor.
Franks isn't entirely new to the tight end position, as he received six snaps there last year, but he's far from experienced. However, he's prepared to do whatever it takes to stick on the team.
"I really want to learn what I'm being asked to do," Franks said. "With the tight ends, I really want to understand what they're doing so I'm not missing anything. I don't want to do too much at one time. So, learning that position, and obviously in the quarterback room, I'm staying on top of that. I just want to be available for whatever they need."
His size, athleticism, and position versatility has frequently drawn comparisons to the New Orleans Saints' Taysom Hill from outside of the building. Like Franks, Hill was an undrafted rookie who played quarterback in college but has aligned at tight end and several other positions in the Saints offense, in addition to manning a special teams role.
If the Falcons can get anywhere near the production and versatility out of Franks that New Orleans has from Hill, consider this project an all-around success.
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