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Grady Jarrett: Atlanta Falcons’ Version of Aaron Donald?

By John Buhler

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Grady Jarrett fell into the 5th Round of the 2015 NFL Draft.  The Atlanta Falcons could not let a player of Jarrett’s caliber slip any further, opting to move up to the first pick of the round to draft Grady Jarrett out of Clemson.

Grady Jarrett was going to play for the Atlanta Falcons.  His father’s, LB Jessie Tuggle, jersey number hangs from the rafters of the Georgia Dome as one of the ten greatest players in the franchise’s 50-year history.  Jarrett grew up in Conyers, GA and played collegiately at nearby Clemson University, where he earned All-ACC First Team Honors as a Senior in 2014.

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With his father, brother Justin Tuggle of the Houston Texans, and his ‘uncle’ Baltimore Ravens Legend Ray Lewis all playing professionally at linebacker, Jarrett begins his NFL career on the interior of the defensive line at defensive tackle.  At 6’0”, 290 lbs., Jarrett is a bit undersized for the position in most NFL scouts’ eyes.  Perhaps that’s why he fell to the top of the 5th Round before the Atlanta Falcons moved up to get him.

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    • In a league where size on the interior seems like a common theme, last year’s AP NFL Rookie Defensive of the Year, St. Louis Rams DT Aaron Donald isn’t a behemoth on the inside either.  Donald was a unanimous All-American selection in 2013 out of the University of Pittsburgh, earning the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Chuck Bednarik Award as a senior for the Pitt Panthers.  Donald is only 6’1”, 285 lbs.

    I’m not saying that the Atlanta Falcons’ 5th Round pick DT Grady Jarrett will become as decorated of an undersized interior lineman as Aaron Donald, but Jarrett could have a similar effect on the Falcons’ defensive line as Donald has as a member of the Rams.

    Jarrett has shown that he has great twitch, great hands, and the necessary stockiness to compete at the highest level on the defensive line.  His Defensive Line Coach, former Pro Bowl LB Bryan Cox, coined the nickname ‘The Truck Driver’ for Grady Jarrett.  I love it.  I even described the defensive tackle having the quickness of a jack rabbit after last night’s preseason finale.

    In the NFL, you can win in many ways on the inside, not just with size.  Grady Jarrett is proving to us that you can positively impact the game on the interior with strong coaching, good football instincts, inherent quickness, but most importantly the ability to create leverage on the guards and center.

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    Coach Cox, DC Richard Smith, and HC Dan Quinn seem to have a unique rotational defensive line piece in Grady Jarrett.  While he isn’t an every-down player as a rookie, you have to like what you’ve seen from him so far this season.  If Jarrett becomes half the player that Aaron Donald is for the St. Louis Rams, then the Atlanta Falcons’ front office made an insanely high-value pick by taking Grady Jarrett in the top of the 5th round in the 2015 NFL Draft.

    Next: Atlanta Falcons: Defense Strong, Run Game Improved

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