Falcons linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich isn’t looking at Tuesday’s start of OTAs entirely as a beginning even as his group includes four rookies and two second-year players.
A little more than a month after the Falcons drafted speedy LSU linebacker Duke Riley in the third round, Ulbrich considers the No. 1 marker of the linebacker corps, youth, to be a great asset.
He’s convinced that because his top three linebackers are so green — Deion Jones and De’Vondre Campbell are entering their second seasons and Vic Beasley his third — they can better raise Riley to be part of the game-day rotation.
“Yeah, no doubt,” Ulbrich said. “The longer you play in this league, the more removed you become from those emotions and that growth process. The fact that he’s got … not only two guys that just went through it, but successfully. And, on top of that, they’re such good teammates that they want to bring him along.”
Jones, a second-round draft pick in 2016, played in 15 regular-season games and started 13. He finished the regular season with 108 combined tackles and assists and three interceptions.
Campbell, a fourth-round pick out of Minnesota, played 11 games, starting 10. He rang up 48 tackles, seven pass breakups and a pick. He’s even quicker.
Falcons fans can expect to see plenty of them. Beyond that, it’s too early to say.
Beasley is listed as an outside linebacker, but doesn’t often play there when the Falcons run a four-man front. He’s the prototypical hybrid linebacker-end in today’s NFL — a pass-rusher deluxe.
The Falcons’ pass-coverage linebacker last season, Philip Wheeler, is a free agent, and so is plugger Sean Weatherspoon, whose season ended last year in injury. Paul Worrilow left through free agency, joining the Lions.
Back will be — at least before rosters are trimmed — reserve LaRoy Reynolds, who played in 16 games, and Josh Keyes, who played in one game after joining the team from Tampa Bay.
They’re joined by Riley and undrafted rookie free agents Darius English from South Carolina, Jermaine Grace of Miami and Tago Christian of San Jose State.
Ulbrich does not rue the lack of NFL experience because Jones, Campbell and Beasley grew so quickly last season into roles as major contributors. In his view, those who have most recently lived it can teach it best.
It won’t hurt that Jones played with Riley at LSU, and they’re friends.
“You know, a lot of guys get so caught up in the competitive nature of this league and business that they lose sight of developing the man next to them because they feel like that’s threatening their own occupation,” the coach said.
“But he’s got two guys who are not like that at all. He’s got great teammates who’ve just been through this growth process.”
Riley can just about count on his once-and-again teammate starting. For all the sorting that Ulbrich and Falcons coaches face, Jones is the lock of the group.
All other bets, or predictions of what positions these linebackers will play or who will be the coverage LB, are TBD.
“For the first time we’ve got authentic competition across the board,” Ulbrich said. “Going back to what coach (Dan) Quinn always talks about, we’re trying to feature these guys the best way we can. … I think Deion is probably the closest to that … (middle linebacker).”
The newcomers will have edges of a sorts. They can sponge from Jones, Campbell and even Beasley.
“It will be a great benefit as resources, not to mention other veterans,” Ulbrich said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are fresh to growing. With Duke, as much as we know, we don’t know. You can watch college film. You can make projections.
“But at this point, you can assume nothing with rookies. I’m excited to see his growth and development, and at the same time De’Vondre is going to make leaps and bounds, and all those other guys: LeRoy and Jermaine and Josh Keyes, they all bring something really special to the group.”
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