How Falcons Coaching Changes 'Definitely Hurt' 2022 Draft Picks

The Atlanta Falcons chose a 1,000-yard receiver in Drake London on the first day of the 2022 NFL draft and a 1,000-yard rusher in Tyler Allgeier on the last.

Sandwiched in between was a day once filled with great promise -- but is now marked by an ever-growing feeling of what could've been. And the Falcons may only have themselves to blame for part of it.

Atlanta had two picks apiece in the second and third rounds. The Falcons chose Penn State outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie at No. 38 overall and Montana State inside linebacker Troy Andersen at No. 58 overall, then added Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder with the 74th pick and Western Kentucky outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone with the 82nd pick.

The Falcons received A-grades for their picks of Ebiketie and Ridder, B-grades for Malone and a mixture of Bs and Cs for Andersen. For its four additions, Atlanta earned an A-grade overall from NFL.com.

In retrospect, "A" stood for adverse -- as in, the conditions facing the Falcons' trio of defensive draftees.

Ridder spent two years under then-head coach and offensive play-caller Arthur Smith. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals less than two months after Atlanta hired Raheem Morris as Smith's replacement.

But at the organization's highest level, he had consistency around him. The Falcons' defenders can't say the same.

Ebiketie, Andersen and Malone were drafted by defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who retired the year after. Atlanta hired Ryan Nielsen to be its new defensive coordinator in January 2023, and Nielsen changed the team's base scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3.

When the Falcons fired Smith after the 2023 season, Nielsen received interest from other teams and was ultimately hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars before the Falcons hired Morris.

Needing a new defensive coordinator, Morris brought Jimmy Lake with him from the Los Angeles Rams. Lake employed a 3-4 defense, forcing a reversion back to the scheme the Falcons' 2022 draftees played as rookies.

Morris fired Lake after the 2024 season and hired Jeff Ulbrich, who's promised schematic multiplicity but has a background rooted more in 4-3 packages.

When Ebiketie, Andersen and Malone arrive at team headquarters April 22 in Flowery Branch, Ga., for the first day of the Falcons offseason program, they'll do so trying to learn their fourth defensive playbook, coordinator and system in as many years.

Morris, who didn't play a role in picking Atlanta's 2022 draft class but is now responsible for maximizing the unit heading into a contract year, acknowledged the coaching fluctuation hurt the trio of defenders.

"Definitely," Morris said. "The changing of the guard when you get there with your original evaluator -- when you draft the guy, you pour into him. Full blown pouring into him. And that's just what coaches do, the full-blown buy in. And then once you get a new guy, you don't know how that thing was rated.

"But I definitely know we have guys that pour into them right now, whether it was last year, whether it's this year, we got to pour back into the guys from that '22 draft, from the drafts previous, whatever the case may be."

Ebiketie has been the most productive of Atlanta's 2022 draftees. He's appeared in 50 games with nine starts, collecting 93 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 35 quarterback hits.

The 26-year-old Ebiketie had a strong end to the 2024 campaign, notching five sacks and three tackles for loss over the final six games.

Andersen's career has been ravaged by injuries. He played in all 17 games as a rookie, but he's been on the field in just nine games since. The 25-year-old suffered a concussion in Week 1 of 2023, missed Week 2 as a result and suffered what proved to be a season-ending torn pectoral in Week 3.

Back healthy in 2024, Andersen ended the first month of the season with a 17-tackle performance punctuated by a 47-yard pick-six against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4 en route to earning NFC Player of the Week.

But Andersen suffered a left knee injury on special teams late in the fourth quarter and subsequently missed the next five games. He appeared in three more games before being placed on injured reserve in Week 15, ending his season.

For his career, Andersen has played in 26 games with 11 starts, recording 135 tackles and five tackles for loss.

Malone, meanwhile, has been relegated largely to a special teams-only role. He played two defensive snaps in 2023 and 90 in 2024. Across three seasons, Malone has played 943 special teams snaps and emerged as a potent contributor in the game's third phase -- but hasn't developed into the impactful pass rusher the Falcons hoped they selected.

Injuries and schematic changes are often factors in draft picks failing to meet expectations on the field. Perhaps most difficult for Atlanta to swallow? Self-inflicted fluctuation directly impacted a defensive class that's flashed but hasn't been able to find steady ground, resulting in stunted growth and lessened career arcs.

"Definitely has hurt guys like that," Morris said. "But we got a chance to see AK come on towards the end of the season. Obviously, the injuries really hurt Troy in a major way. But before those things, you get a chance to have breakout plays, flash plays. You really can be excited about those moments.

"But you wouldn't be all the way wrong by saying that when you have so much change with those guys in those periods that they had, that's definitely going to set them back a little bit and make them play a little catch up."

One silver lining? They're already well-acquainted to the race they're running.