We all know it's pointless to do instant draft grades. I like Atlanta's 2022 draft class. Most fans of most teams will say the same about their respective draft classes. So let's make it easy and have Oprah do the instant 2022 draft grades: A's for everybody! Instead, here's a look back at Atlanta's draft from five years ago. The team was coming off its NFC Conference title and looking for another good draft in 2017 to keep them among the NFL elite. Did they succeed? Ha! Of course not. Round 1: Thomas Dimitroff traded the 3rd and 7th round picks to move up from #31 to #26 to select edge rusher Takkarist McKinley. He initially showed great potential, racking up 6 and then 7 sacks in his first two seasons before tailing off miserably. Atlanta declined to pick up his fifth year option and waived him before the end of his fourth season. In a strange turn of events, he was waived by Atlanta on November 9, 2020, claimed by the Bengals, waived by them on November 17, claimed by the 49ers, waived again just three days later, claimed by the Raiders and promptly put on IR to end his season - and his rookie contract. The Raiders did NOT resign him. He signed a one-year deal with Cleveland for the 2021 season but was not resigned. He's currently available as an unsigned free agent. Yep... an edge rusher taken in the first round just five years ago is completely unsigned as teams enter OTAs. And just to rub salt in the wound of yet another Dimitroff pass rush flop... four picks later, Pittsburgh selected T.J. Watt. Round 2: One of the rare occasions when Dimitroff traded down. He moved down 12 spots (from the end of round 2 into Round 3 and collected a pair of fifth round picks in return. Nice move! Well, not really. You still have to select good players to make those trades pay off. After tradiing down from #63 to #75, Dimitroff selected raw but athletic LSU linebacker Duke Riley, hoping to repeat the success the team had with athletic LSU linebacker Deion Jones the prior year. Nope. Riley was traded to Philadelphia for rent-a-player DB Johnathan Cyprien after just two years. Falcons fans will say they should have ditched him a year and a half sooner. He did end up starting 8 games for the Eagles in 2020, but Philadelphia chose not to resign him when his rookie contract expired after that season. The Dolphins picked him up for 2021 and have resigned him for 2022. Round 3: pick was traded in the move up for Takk McKinley. Round 4: looking to beef up the offensive line, Atlanta selected Oregon State lineman Sean Harlow. He failed to make the roster a year later. Indianapolis signed him to their practice squad but released him six weeks into the season. The Falcons brought him back to their own practice squad for the rest of 2018, 2019 (calling him up for one game), and 2020. At the end of the 2020 season, he was signed off of Atlanta's practice squad by the Cardinals. He may end up having a solid NFL career after all, but for Atlanta he was a bust of a draft pick (out of the organization in week one of rookie season = automatic fail grade for the draft pick) and a career practice squad player after returning. Round 5 (pick gained from trading down earlier): Dimitroff selects DB Damontae Kazee. Kazee turns out to be a ball hawk who is perfect for Dan Quinn's defense. He racked up 10 interceptions in 2018-2019 before tearing his Achilles' tendon four games into the 2020 season. Quinn was fired following that season, and the incoming regime did not resign Kazee. He followed Dan Quinn to Dallas for 2021, starting 15 games for the Cowboys with two interceptions. He signed with Pittsburgh for 2022. Kazee is easily the best selection of this draft class, but the Falcons still had nothing to show for the pick after four seasons. Round 5 (pick gained from trading down earlier): Atlanta selects RB Brian Hill. In October, they dropped him to the practice squad. Cincinnati signed him off of Atlanta's practice squad and kept him for the remainder of the season. He didn't make their roster in 2018, and Atlanta resigned him, first to the practice squad and then to the regular roster a week later. He remained a backup with the Falcons through 2020. He signed with the Titans for 2021 but failed to make their roster. He ended up spending 2021 on the Browns and then the 49ers practice squads. San Francisco signed him to the active roster to end the 2021 season, so they hold his rights going for the 2022 offseason. He was obviously a bust as a draft pick (completely out of the organization halfway through his rookie year) but not so bad as an off-the-street, dirt cheap free agent depth signing. I'll be rooting for him to make the roster with the 49ers this year. Round 5: Dimitroff selects raw but athletic TE prospect Eric Saubert, from Drake University. He didn't pan out, and he was traded for nothing. Seriously, nothing. The trade was to New England for a conditional future 7th round pick. The condition was that he had to make the Patriots roster and stick on the roster for four games. He didn't make it, so no draft pick was received. Round 6: was one of two picks traded for OG Andy Levitre in 2015. Round 7: pick was traded in the move up for Takk McKinley. So.... bust, bust, pick traded away, bust, solid player who wasn't resigned, bust, bust, pick traded away, pick traded away. Atlanta went into the 2021 season with absolutely nothing remaining from the 2017 draft class. Grade = epic failure.
