The quarterbacks, tight ends and receivers are scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis to start the NFL combine process Sunday.
A total of 32 players with Georgia connections will take part in the NFL's job fair, which has moved the workouts to prime time for NFL Network.
Many of the drills performed have been moved to the afternoon and evening in the hopes of attracting a larger TV audience. The drills have traditionally taken place in the morning and early afternoon.
“I don’t think the time change matters to me,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said. “I don’t think it matters to anybody in the league.”
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However, the reduction of player interviews from 60 to 45 has some teams grumbling. Two — the Broncos and Rams — are holding back from sending their entire coaching staffs.
“I see where some teams are keeping their coaches back to evaluate film because you are going to get all of the numbers,” Kiper said. “The interviews are important. ... The medicals (are) critical. It’s key to all of this. Teams will all be there getting that.”
The Falcons have long prized the interviewing process and think the new format could be a case of less is more.
The formal and informal interviews, which used to take place in a hotel, will be held at the stadium in suites. Also, team position coaches will meet with players they are studying at designated times at on the field.
The Falcons are hoping that more structure will reduce the chaos of the old setup.
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While all players may not meet with general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn, they could also meet with the position coaches and scouts.
If the players impress the Falcons, the team will follow up at their Pro Day to set up a campus visit.
“The interview is something that we (the media) can’t get into, but it’s huge for the teams,” Kiper said. “Watching them work out and throw against air, doing all of the drills. ... Watching it, you don’t glean a lot from that. But it’s good to be there.”
For the NFL teams, the numbers mean things. For instance, the three-cone drill addresses a player’s ability to change directions.
“Just getting all of the numbers is important, and the Pro Days come up after that,” Kiper said. “Then the three-cone, you test explosiveness with the broad (jump) and the vertical, you see how strong guys are, which tells you something about how they prepare and how serious they are about their work. Those bench-press reps tell you a little bit about that as well.
“So, there are things you take from every drill and every number that you get. It’s important, but the changes don’t impact anything at all.”
There are some intriguing prospects from Georgia.
A total of 10 players are former Georgia Bulldogs, with 20 others who played out of state and two from Georgia Southern.
Former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm needs to show off his arm strength during the drills Thursday. Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas from Pace Academy is considered a top-10 prospect, but Kiper has him rated lower because he “plays too high.”
Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who played at Lanier High, likely will be the first player from Georgia selected.
Late bloomers, Kyle Dugger from Lenoir-Rhyne and Whitewater High and Antonio Gandy-Golden from Liberty and Paulding County High, are intriguing prospects. Both showed they could play with the power-conference guys at the Senior Bowl.
Gandy-Golden is part of a talented wide receiver group. Kiper believes 25 receivers could go in the first three rounds of the draft.
“He’s a hands-catcher,” Kiper said. “He knows how to use that frame to shield the defender, which I like. He has a pretty good burst out of his break, which is important for a player his size. Then, (at the Senior Bowl) he showed that he could play with the big boys.
“Depending on his workout numbers, I can see him going anywhere between the second and fourth round.”
The Falcons are primed to heavily scout the defensive and offensive line prospects, looking for a defensive end and defensive tackle and a left guard, who possibly could convert to center. Center Alex Mack will turn 35 in November.
After saying they will not re-sign defensive end Vic Beasley, the Falcons have a hole at defensive end. Also, defensive end Adrian Clayborn and defensive tackles Jack Crawford and Tyeler Davison can become free agents in March.
Defensive end Takk McKinley, who hasn’t been highly productive and needs to add moves to his bull-rush move, is recovering from shoulder surgery.
Also, the Falcons must consider strong safeties. Keanu Neal missed most of the past two seasons with major injuries. He suffered a knee injury in the first game of the 2018 season and ruptured his Achilles tendon in the third game of the 2019 season.
Last season, free safety Ricardo Allen had to move over to strong safety, and he later suffered a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.
Here's the schedule (all workouts will be televised on the NFL Network):
• Thursday, Feb. 27 (4-11 p.m.): Tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers
• Friday, Feb. 28 (4-11 p.m.): Place-kickers, special teams, offensive linemen, and running backs
• Saturday, Feb. 29 (4-11 p.m.): Defensive linemen and linebackers
• Sunday, March 1 (2-7 p.m.): Defensive backs
Thirty-two of the 337 players invited to participate at the combine have a tie to Georgia. That's the highest concentration of Georgia talent since 2015 (37 players). In 2011, there were 31 players.
This is the breakdown of positions for this year's combine:
• Quarterbacks: 17, including Georgia's Jake Fromm and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa
• Wide receivers: 55, including Liberty's Antonio Gandy-Golden (from Paulding County) and Tennessee's Marquez Callaway (of Warner Robins)
• Tight ends: 20, including Georgia's Charlie Woerner (of Rabun County)
• Running backs: 30, including Georgia's Brian Herrien and D'Andre Swift
• Offensive linemen: 52, among them is Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas — a potential top-10 draft pick — and Clemson's Tremayne Anchrum (of Powder Springs)
• Special teams: 12, Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship (of Marietta) leads a group of place-kickers and special-teams players
• Defensive linemen: 46, among them Auburn's Derrick Brown (of Sugar Hill)
• Linebackers: 44, including Virginia's Jordan Mack (of Lithonia)
• Defensive backs: 61, including Georgia's J.R. Reed and Wake Forest's Essang Bassey (of Columbus)
The Falcons hold the 16th pick in 2020. The team is set to make eight picks overall — four among the top 100 — when the NFL draft is held April 23-25 in Las Vegas.
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