FLOWERY BRANCH -- When Drew Dalman sits down to watch film, it’s a science more than an art.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound rookie offensive lineman takes mental and physical notes as he watches reruns of his first training camp with the Falcons. He watches things he did as well as things done by his teammates.
More than most, he understands the importance of watching film and takes it seriously.
“First, I look at the mental side of it,” Dalman said Tuesday. “Did I make the right calls? Are we in the right play? Then from there, I can look at how my footwork is, how my technique is and critique myself that way. Then, I’ll look at the other guys and see what they’re doing well, trying to pick up on some of that myself.”
Dalman has had a lot of different aspects to look at. He’s played at center and at guard, taken reps with the first and second teams, gone against All-Pro defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and worked with a revolving door of offensive linemen.
But he’s enjoyed the challenge.
“The more confident I become with my assignments, the less I’m antsy at the line trying to get the call out and all that stuff,” Dalman said. “That slows down a little bit, and then I can focus on the physical aspect.”
Though new to playing professional football, he isn’t a stranger to what it takes to survive in the NFL. His father, Chris, played offensive line with the 49ers for seven seasons and was an assistant OL coach with the Falcons in 2005-06.
Drew watched reruns of his dad’s Super Bowl-winning season and knew early on that playing professional football was doable for him and something he wanted to accomplish.
In 2019 and 2020, Dalman started all 18 games at center for Stanford. He earned All-Pac-12 honors from different publications, received a degree in mechanical engineering and was team captain his senior year.
Dalman said the adjustment to playing against professionals has been made easier by learning from the veterans, especially third-year guard Chris Lindstrom.
“Chris is an incredible player,” Dalman said. “Learning from him and how he pass protects and how he thinks about it, the speed he plays with in the run game. All that stuff is great for me to watch so I can try to emulate it a little bit. He’s just a great teammate.”
As much as he’s learned from fellow linemen, Dalman also has received a good bit of teaching from quarterback Matt Ryan.
Dalman was vocal about how important the relationship between the offensive line and those behind the line is.
“Us all being on the same page in the run game and in passing protection is what’s going to make (the offense) go,” Dalman said. “Them knowing how we’re handling stuff and us knowing what they’re handling is pretty important for making sure that we’re sound.”
Coach Arthur Smith realizes that the offensive line will have moving parts from training camp through the end of the season, which is why there’s a focus on all linemen on the roster to feel comfortable in multiple spots on the line.
“If (Dalman) is one of the guys up, whether he eventually earns a starting job or he’s one of the eight guys up, we better be confident or we have the wrong guys to trust on game day,” Smith said. “I’m pleased with what Drew has done and what we’ve thrown at him. It hasn’t been perfect, but I’m happy with how he’s progressing.”
Dalman said he’s comfortable at center and guard, even though he played center for the majority of his collegiate career.
As he gets more reps and goes through more in-game situations, he’s confident that he’ll further grasp what it takes to reach his goals.
“I don’t care much about which position I’m playing, I just want to improve as an offensive lineman,” Dalman said. “Just the margin for error seems to be a lot smaller. That’s what I feel. If you have a flaw in your game, it’s going to get found quicker by a player like that. That’s been something to adjust to. It’s helped speed up my improvement.”
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