Here’s what Falcons offensive lineman Drew Dalman, who was taken in the fourth round (114th overall), had to say Saturday after his second rookie minicamp practice:
On how the rookie minicamp is going: “It’s been a blast so far. I’ve love the opportunity to get out there and get after it with the guys. Obviously, I’m learning a ton and learning from some great coaches. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
On the offensive line sprinting to the line of scrimmage: “We’re all eager to get up there and get rolling. We have got time. As offensive linemen that’s something that we are probably doing naturally at this point.”
On if he’s spent some time at left guard: “Yeah, that’s kind of the big thing is that we are all just offensive linemen at this point. We are working everything. We are doing everything to be ready. From my personal standpoint, I’m just going to practice every day, do what I can and they’ll kind of do the rest.”
On what traits he needs to play on the line: “I’ll probably quote (offensive line) coach (Dwayne) Ledford on this one. He talks about speed off the ball, toughness and finish. I think those three things is what everybody has to have.”
On his draft celebration going viral on social media: “I’m not a big social media guy, but I think that kind of went over my head. I was just excited. My family was excited. I’m glad that people got some enjoyment out of it.”
On being selected: “It’s something that slowly sinks in. This is something that I‘ve been waiting to do for my whole life. Getting to do and have a rookie minicamp, has been awesome to me. I’ve been loving it out here.”
On Arthur Smith’s coaching style: “I’m not going to claim to be an expert after two days, but as now, seems really knowledgeable. Seems great. Man, I’m just really fortunate to learn more from him.”
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
On if he received a parting message from his dad (former NFL player and coach Chris Dalman) before leaving for minicamp: “Parting message, not too much. Just kind of stuff that he’s always said. Do what you can to prepare. Work hard and all of that. Kind of everything else tends to fall in place.”
On how multiple the playbook is: “We are doing a lot of stuff out of a lot of different formations and all of that. So, I’m happy to be a part of and I think it’s looking great so far from my perspective.”
On if what he did at Stanford translates to what the Falcons are asking him to do: “I think a little bit. Just the concepts within the offensive line play, there is a lot of carry over. They may call it different things, but we are kind of talking about the same things. That’s definitely been helpful in learning. I can kind of translate it back to something that I’ve already learned.”
Fourth round (114th overall) – Drew Dalman, C, Stanford
Height: 6-3 Weight: 299 Arms: 32 Hands: 10-½ Bench Press: 225 pounds 33 times Vertical: 33 40-yard dash: 5.00 seconds 20-shuttle: 2.89. 3-cone drill: 7.33
Overview: The son of former Stanford and San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Chris Dalman, Drew Dalman, as expected with this kind of pedigree, possesses good fundamentals at center. At Stanford, Dalman was a three-year starter who showcased solid consistency and intelligence up front. Dalman, however, does have an undersized frame compared to centers around the NFL, with his 32-inch arms lacking the ideal length at the position. Still, he developed a reputation as someone who finishes blocks in the run game. Dalman projects well to a zone blocking scheme and could compete with Matt Hennessy for the starting center position with the Falcons.
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