FLOWERY BRANCH — Going into his third season as a Falcon, offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield has bounced around. He was drafted as a right tackle, but played the entire 2021 season as a left guard. He missed the 2022 season with a lower back issue. Now, he’s returning to right tackle, his favorite, and original, position.
Early results are in. Falcons coach Arthur Smith is happy so far.
“The consistency, a lot of stuff — I’m not going to go into too much detail — but just the improvement, the sustainability. The daily evaluation of him, the basic fundamentals of your job. Can you block the guy in front of you and can you move? We’ll start there,” Smith said. “And then the sustainability in the pocket, your anchor, your assignment, all that stuff. There’s so many things that go into that O-line play, but it’s encouraging. Obviously, it’ll all play out, but (I’ve) been pleased so far.”
Mayfield said going back to right tackle feels more natural. He’s comfortable on that side.
He played three seasons at Michigan, playing left tackle as a freshman before moving to the right side as a sophomore and junior. He drew attention after a strong performance against Ohio State (and current Washington Commanders) defensive end Chase Young, and was ranked as high as No. 14 in the 2021 NFL draft class by ESPN.
He was picked by the Falcons in the third round of the draft and celebrated, as although he’s from Michigan, he grew up a Falcons fan. When he moved to left guard, it was more to fill a need than anyone’s preference — both starting guards went down injured.
He stepped in and started 16 games, but struggled. After missing the entire season in 2022, Mayfield sees 2023 as a fresh start.
“Being back, doing a bunch of football stuff again feels really good,” Mayfield said. “Moving around with a bunch of the guys, being back in the meetings. I feel really good this year. I can’t wait to display what I’ve done over the last year.”
Unfortunately for Mayfield (but fortunately for the Falcons), the offensive line has changed while he’s been out. What once was their biggest weakness is now seen as a strength. Starting right tackle Kaleb McGary signed a three-year extension over the offseason. Left tackle Jake Matthews and right guard Chris Lindstrom signed extensions as well. Center Drew Dalman will start, and the Falcons used a second-round pick on left guard Matthew Bergeron. After starting every game in 2021, there may not be a spot on the 2023 roster for Mayfield.
Mayfield knows what he has to do throughout training camp. While he admits right tackle is where he’s most comfortable, he knows he needs to be ready at any position, even if it means going back to guard.
“We’ve got a lot of great guys in the O-line room,” Mayfield said. “This is probably the most (competition) we’ve had since I’ve been here, especially. I’m just doing my part, doing what I can. Trying to fill a position, fill a void if we have one, and do as best as I can to fill that void.”
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