The Falcons’ locals day is Friday and former Greater Atlanta Christian wide receiver Darius Slayton, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, has an invite.
Draft eligible players from the metro area are allowed to workout for their local team. The workouts will be held at the team facilities in Flowery Branch and will not be open to the public.
The Falcons have used the locals day to help fill out the rookie minicamp roster and tackle Ryan Schraeder made his way to the roster through locals day after getting signed as an undrafted rookie free agent.
The Falcons benefit for the talent around the state.
“That’s what some of the guys (around) the league complain to the league office about how unfair it is that we have our (locals) day and they are somewhere else,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said at Georgia’s Pro Day. “They complain about it at time.”
Slayton caught 35 passes for 670 yards and five touchdowns last season at Auburn. He finished his career with 79 catches for 1,605 yards and 11 touchdowns. His yardage total left him ranked 11th among Auburn career leaders.
“Outside guy who does a nice job of getting off the line of scrimmage,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Has a nice stutter (step and) release. He does a nice job of adjusting to the ball on his back shoulder.”
Jeremiah pointed to Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham’s inconsistent play, which helped to keep Slayton’s production down.
“One of the things that will get me to Stidham, there are a lot of plays on (the tape) where (Slayton’s) uncovered, but the ball doesn’t make it to him,” Jeremiah said. “I think there is some upside with him beyond what you see. I think there is some more there.”
Draft eligible players from the metro area are allowed to workout for their local team. The session, at Flowery Branch, is not open to the media or public.
Other players confirmed for locals day include:
--Wide receiver Shannon Smith (West Georgia) – From Macon Westside. Started his career at Southern Mississippi.
--Safety Davanta Reynolds (North Carolina Central) – Played at Tucker High.
--Cornerback Ken Webster (Mississippi) -- He played at Stockbridge High.
--Running back Keion Davis (Marshall) – Played at Langston Hughes High.
--Defensive lineman Desmond Branch (Georgia Tech) -- He's the younger brother of Alan Branch, who played at Michigan and was a second-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. He has won two Super Bowl championships as a New England Patriots.
--Wide receiver Riley Ridley (Georgia) -- Younger brother of Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
--Running back Clinton Lynch (Georgia Tech) -- Finished his career with more than 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. He played at Norcross High.
--Safety Ridwan Issahaku (TCU) -- The 6-foot-1 and 196-pounder went to Norcross HIgh. He was an first-team All-Big 12 pick and finished second on the team with 80 tackles. He started all 13 games last season.
--Punter Ian Berryman (Western Carolina) -- He played at Fellowship Christian High.
--Wide receiver Justin Sumpter (Kennesaw State) -- The 6-foot-3 and 217-pounder was a three-time All- Big South selection. He played at Sandy Creek High.
--Linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams (South Carolina) -- He played at Cedar Grove.
--Linebacker D'Andre Walker (Georgia) -- He will be on hand to meet with team officials. He was recently cleared after having sports hernia surgery.
--Cornerback Deandre Baker (Georgia) -- He's a projected first-round pick. Some have him rated as the top cornerback in the draft. His agent confirmed on Thursday.
--Wide receiver Mecole Hardman (Georgia) -- Teams love his speed and his ability to also return punts and kickoffs.
We’ll add to the list as we get more confirmations.
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