The Falcons drafted Chris Houston because of his measureables and the Falcons needed a corner.  They must have not put much stock in how Houston plays the game.  He’s soft against the run and misses a lot of tackles.  He also has problems with fast receivers that get behind him in coverage a lot for big plays.  Houston played in 29 games (23 starts) for Arkansas and he only made 65 tackles, broke up 15 passes and forced a fumble.  If the Falcons are banking on Houston starting at corner they are in big, big trouble.  It’s dangerous to draft players that stand out at the Combine but have not had much success acutally playing football.  The Falcons reached in picking Houston this high as he will likely wind up being a nickel back and special teams player.

Brian Finneran tore his ACL again in a recent Falcons’ mini-camp.  Finneran’s career could be coming to a close and that’s a shame as he was one of Michael Vick’s favorite favorite receivers.  Finneran has played in 87 games (35 starts) in his NFL career and he’s caught 187 passes for 2,647 yards (14.2 avg) with 15 TD catches.  He will miss the 2007 season.

Justin Blalock is a big man (6’3″, 320 pounds) and he’s the type of power blocker that Coach Bobby Petrino wants to build his offensive line around.  Blalock will probably step right in and start at left guard for the Falcons from Day #1.  He’s a mauler in the running game and he’s got good enough feet to slide in the passing game.  Blalock is also very dependable as he broke the Texas Longhorns’ all-time record for consecutive starts with 51.  Blalock was an excellent pick that many had projected to go late in the 1st round.

The Falcons have decided to let Jason Webster go after an injury filled 2006 season.  Webster played in 8 games last season for the Falcons and he made 49 tackles, had 2 interceptions, defensed 3 passes and forced a fumble.  He should have no problem getting a new job in the league if he can prove that he’s healthy.

The Falcons had a big need at defensive end after losing Patrick Kerney in free agency and they were thrilled when Jamaal Anderson fell into their lap at #8.  Anderson has good size (6’5″, 275) and speed (4.75 40) as he was recruited as a wide receiver at Arkansas.  While at Arkansas, Anderson bulked up almost 70 pounds and he turned into a dominant defensive end for the Razorbacks as he led the SEC last season with 13.5 sacks!  He also made an outstanding 19.5 tackles for a loss because of his outstanding first step quickness.  In 36 games at Arkansas, Anderson played in 36 games (19 starts) and he made 130 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss, had 17.5 sacks, batted down 8 passes, forced 2 fumbles and recovered a fumble.  This was outstanding first pick in the Bobby Petrino era in Atlanta.

Nick Turnball was claimed off of waivers from the Chicago Bears.  Don’t expect much from him as he played in 3 games for the Bears last season and he didn’t even make 1 tackle.  Look for him to have to make the team based on special teams play, but I’m betting against him making the team in 2007 for the Falcons.

Last season the Falcons converted OL Eric Beverly into a TE to help with run blocking.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Falcons and he caught 1 pass for 0 yards.  At 6’3″, 300 pounds Beverly didn’t fit in the new coaching staffs plan for the position so he was let go.

Leander Jordan fits the profile of the kind of offensive lineman that Bobby Petrino likes as he’s big (6’4″, 320) and nasty.  Jordan was with the Chargers last season but he didn’t play a down for them.  In his 7 year NFL career, Jordan has played in 37 games and he’s only started 14 of them.  He will provide the Falcons with depth along their line if he can just stay healthy.

The Falcons have brought in Billy Cundiff to battle Aaron Elling for the starting job as placekicker.  Cundiff played in 5 games with the New Orleans Saints and he mostly handled kickoffs for them.  He only attempted one field goal and he missed a 50+ yarder.  Over Cundiff’s five-year NFL career he has made 60 of 83 (72.3%) of his field goal attempts.  He also has made 100/101 extra points.  This should be a good training camp battle for the job as both Cundiff and Elling have a 50/50 shot of winning the job.

The Falcons have released G/C Ben Claxton who only appeared in 2 games for the Falcons in 2 seasons.  He was more of a zone blocking type player and Coach Petrino wants big, physical linemen.  Running back Butchie Wallace was one of the Falcons players from NFL Europe and he also didn’t fit into Petrino’s offense.