Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was just a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but you couldn't tell it by all the attention being paid him six weeks before Falcons training camp kicks off.
While Jarrett was the fifth player selected the Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff and second from Clemson, after first-rounder Vic Beasley, it seems quite a few media members are high on his ability to make a pretty immediate impact on Dan Quinn's new-look Falcons from Day One.
"In terms of style, speed and immediate impact potential, handpicked LEO defensive end Vic Beasley should provide Atlanta the splashiest debut. His former Clemson teammate Jarrett, however, should provide an equally important impact for the Falcons -- adding the intensity, physicality and selflessness that, frankly, has been missing in Atlanta since the days in which his father, former Falcons' standout linebacker Jesse Tuggle was roaming the field," writes Rob Rang of CBS Sports.
Over his final two years as a Tiger, Jarrett averaged 78 tackles, 10.5 of which went for loss and 13 quarterback pressures. Jarrett likely fell to the fifth-round due to concerns over his size - at just under 6-foot-1, Jarrett may struggle to anchor against bigger offensive linemen. But it is his high high-motor and ability as an interior pass-rusher seem to have made him a pretty perfect fit in Quinn and new Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith's scheme.
"I've had several rival #NFL personnel guys express envy over this #Falcons pick recently. Apparently a perfect fit," Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweeted in response to Rang's article.
With a defensive tackle depth chart currently comprised of veteran Paul Soliai, Jonathan Babineaux and Ra'Shede Hageman, Jarrett doesn't seem to have an easy path to early playing time.
Hageman was a second-round pick just last season. In 16 games of work though, he gathered just 16 tackles, one sack and two stuffs. Babineaux, the long-time Falcon, amassed 31 tackles and two sacks in 15 games last year, while Soliai put together a 2014 campaign, his first in Atlanta, which consisted of 29 tackles, one sack and six stuffs.
Soliai is entering the second-year of a five-year $32 million free agent contract that is set to pay him $3 million in base salary in 2015. Babineaux, likewise, will enter the second year of a three-year, $9 million deal that carries a base salary of $2.25 million for next year.
In short, Jarrett has his work cut out for him if he's going to find his way through the big, already-established bodies on the Falcons defensive line and garner some significant rookie year snaps.
Then again, with a new head coach in Quinn taking over the franchise this offseason, it's unlikely that Soliai and Babineaux's contract status will matter much when it comes to the distribution of playing time.
If Jarrett can show the same kind of disruptive, play-making ability he used to great success at Clemson this offseason, by the time the 2015 regular season rolls around he very well could be seeing a hefty portion of the defensive line rotation for the Falcons.
