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What draft experts said about Falcons rookie Arnold Ebiketie

matt urben
·1 min read

After addressing their offense in round one, the Atlanta Falcons upgraded their defense by drafting explosive edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie out of Penn State at pick No. 38 overall.

Ebiketie racked up 9.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for Penn State last season. Let’s check out what the NFL’s many draft experts had to say about Atlanta’s new edge rusher.

Relative Athletic Score

Pro Football Focus Big Board

“Ebiketie transferred from Temple to Penn State and proved his 2020 production was no fluke. He beat up on quality tackles en route to a 90.5 pass-rushing grade and 52 pressures.”

Draft Wire's Natalie Miller

“Ebiketie excels off the snap, slamming his hands into the chest of opposing linemen, using his arms to extend and push through blockers. His speed rush off the edge looked liked it surprised blockers, smacking their hands away and dipping underneath blocks with excellent flexibility. His hands were perhaps his strongest trait on film, as Ebiketie frequently won hand fights with offensive tackles, or locked inside the lineman’s chest to follow through with a bull rush. He has an extremely versatile pass-rush toolbox that will serve him well moving forward.”

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein

“Purposeful rusher with good length. Ebiketie is quiet to the edge with accurate, active hands and a pressure percentage worthy of projection. He’s not bendy and loose but uses body lean and skilled hands to grease the edge and access the pocket. He will need to keep adding to his bag of tricks as a pocket hunter, as he lacks the base and body type to hold his ground and plug up run games on a consistent basis. Ebiketie could see action as a sub-package pass rusher early in his career. He has the potential to find starting reps as a 3-4 rush linebacker in the future.”

Touchdown Wire's Top 50 players (rated No. 50)

“Ebiketie’s arm length is an attribute, and he knows how to use it. When he’s in a two-point stance, his hands rest below his knees, and he’s very good at getting his hands up and using that length to press tackles to the pocket.”

CBS Sports prospect rankings (rated No. 41)

“Wiry strong and displays good balance. Long arms. Great explosive testing. Capable of dropping into coverage. Does a good job squeezing run gaps. Has some speed to power capability. Contains the edge.”

WATCH: Arnold Ebiketie highlights

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Story originally appeared on Falcons Wire