The Falcons traded back into the first round and drafted Washington offensive tackle Kaleb McGary on Thursday.
The Falcons sent their second- and third-round picks to the Rams to acquire the pick at No. 31. They also picked up an additional sixth-round pick in the deal.
McGary was a projected second-round pick who made a top-30 visit with the Falcons, according to NFL media.
“Fifth-year senior took over as a starter in the middle of his redshirt freshman season,” writes Bob McGinn of BobMcGinnFootball.com. “Ton of love for him,” said one scout. “He’s a right tackle and a guard. He’s like a big (expletive) ogre. He’s a better athlete than you want to give him credit for.” Had a strong week at the Senior Bowl. “At right tackle I’d take him over (Andre) Dillard,” a second scout said. “At left tackle, no. He comes from a farm right out of nowhere (Fife, Wash.). He’s not a city kid.” Ran well (5.05) at the combine but arm length (32 7/8) and bench-press reps (23) didn’t inspire confidence. “Strictly a right tackle,” a third scout said. “But he is one tough sucker and he’s an athlete.“ Vertical jump of 33 ½ was extraordinary.”
The McGary file:
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 317 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.05 seconds
Bench: 23
Vertical: 33.5 inches
10-yard split: 1.83 seconds
20-yard: 2.95 seconds
3-Cone drill: 7.66 seconds
Broad jump: 9 feet, 2 inches
Five questions with McGary
Q: Oddest question during pre-draft process?
A: "Do you love to win or hate to lose?" Luckily, I haven't been hit with too many complex or difficult questions -- not difficult for me personally -- but I had to
think about that for a second. I chose hate to lose because in my mind losing is everything bad in life.”
Q: What’s the background on two moves that family made?
A: Oh boy. OK so. So fair warning: It's basically a country song, so get ready. So we had a family farm in southern Washington, and in 2008 and 2009 recession, we lost it. We just couldn't keep up with the payments anymore, the company kept trying to charge us more and more. We got to a point where we just couldn't afford to live there. So, sure enough, instead of working with us they foreclosed on us.
Q: Where did you all move?
A: So for the last two years of high school, I lived in an RV with four other people. Eventually, they did get my grandfather's RV that he owned cleaned out on the side of the yard that my parents moved into.
Q: Did that background instill hunger in you?
A: More than anything it gives you perspective that someone who hasn't had these experiences just doesn't or can't have.
Q: What were your health issues?
A: So I had an arrhythmia. All that means is your heart beats kind of funny. Think of it like an electrical circuit and there's like a wire frayed, so the circuit kind of goes in an odd pattern. It's not nearly as exciting as it sounds, fortunately. I just had a couple of procedures my freshman and sophomore year of college, and all they did was they went into an artery with a wire and burned out the short-circuit, and I've been problem-free ever since. Played all four years, even with it.
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