After a Saturday press conference, #1 rated draft prospect Jadeveon Clowney was asked him how he would feel if he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons...And this is what he said.
"I wish they could trade up for me," Clowney told ESPN.com. "But I hope I don't fall to No. 6. I like Atlanta -- a lot. They're pretty good. They've got some guys from South Carolina on the team, also. And it's close to home."
On rather the Falcons feel they are safe with the 6th pick or if they feel like they'll need to trade up, general manager provided some insight from inside of the organization. "Look, like I've said, I've been very clear about this, we will always be open for business," said Dimitroff. "We will always be open to move up and back, depends on what's right for us. Again, I feel really comfortable with where we are at six, but there are opportunities on both sides of six."
Clowney ran a 4.53 (unofficially 4.46) 40-yard dash and put up a 37.5 inch vertical jump.
Dimitroff was also asked how the Falcons plan on getting back on track. "In the draft, we are real excited about what's in the draft, offensively and defensively,” Dimitroff said. "We also think there will be some legitimate opportunities in free agency. That's what it's about, taking every thing into consideration. We know where we need to go. We know what we need to tweak and adjust. As I mentioned before, we've done it on the coaching side. We've done it on the personnel side. Now, it's time to really hone in on where we are with the players."
Is Jadeveon Clowney worth the #1 overall pick? Listen to what South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier. "It depends on your needs," Former coach Spurrier told the AJC. "But I think there's a good chance he's going to go No. 1. I think there's a good chance he will be the first pick. I don't try to suggest what teams should do. They’'ve got to make their own decisions on what is best for them. But he's a dominating player out there that the other team has to account for. Of course, every team we played this year had two guys on him about the whole game, especially on passes. He never really had much of a one-on-one that I can remember. He had a good season. His statistics were certainly below last year but he played well in there and opened things up for other defensive linemen."
"I wish they could trade up for me," Clowney told ESPN.com. "But I hope I don't fall to No. 6. I like Atlanta -- a lot. They're pretty good. They've got some guys from South Carolina on the team, also. And it's close to home."
On rather the Falcons feel they are safe with the 6th pick or if they feel like they'll need to trade up, general manager provided some insight from inside of the organization. "Look, like I've said, I've been very clear about this, we will always be open for business," said Dimitroff. "We will always be open to move up and back, depends on what's right for us. Again, I feel really comfortable with where we are at six, but there are opportunities on both sides of six."
Clowney ran a 4.53 (unofficially 4.46) 40-yard dash and put up a 37.5 inch vertical jump.
Dimitroff was also asked how the Falcons plan on getting back on track. "In the draft, we are real excited about what's in the draft, offensively and defensively,” Dimitroff said. "We also think there will be some legitimate opportunities in free agency. That's what it's about, taking every thing into consideration. We know where we need to go. We know what we need to tweak and adjust. As I mentioned before, we've done it on the coaching side. We've done it on the personnel side. Now, it's time to really hone in on where we are with the players."
Is Jadeveon Clowney worth the #1 overall pick? Listen to what South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier. "It depends on your needs," Former coach Spurrier told the AJC. "But I think there's a good chance he's going to go No. 1. I think there's a good chance he will be the first pick. I don't try to suggest what teams should do. They’'ve got to make their own decisions on what is best for them. But he's a dominating player out there that the other team has to account for. Of course, every team we played this year had two guys on him about the whole game, especially on passes. He never really had much of a one-on-one that I can remember. He had a good season. His statistics were certainly below last year but he played well in there and opened things up for other defensive linemen."