Atlanta Falcons Draft: Been Caught Stealin' Edition

This guy might make the list in a couple of years.

Last time I looked at the biggest busts in the last 20 years for the Atlanta Falcons football franchise. This time I’m going with the half glass full edition and look at the top guys who were picked near the bottom of the draft and turned out to make an impact on the franchise. I'm just taking into account the last 20 years and am also not including “undrafted” guys but of course wanted to do a hat tip for Jessie Tuggle who went undrafted and ended up playing for the Falcons for 14 years, went to 5 Pro Bowls and has his number retired with the Falcons. A couple of honorable mentions to start with. The first is Jason Snelling (pictured above). He was drafted in the 7th round in 2007 and filled in admirably last year when Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood went down and looks to be part of the offense this year. Give him a couple more years and he might make the list. I was also shocked to find out that Bob Christian was drafted in the 12th round (now that’s a lot of rounds!) in 1991. He was drafted by the Falcons but didn’t play for them until 1996. He was one of those gritty football players that you want on your team. Here are my Top 3 “Steals” of the Draft for the Atlanta Falcons.

#3 Todd McClure- C- LSU- 1999- 7th round- 237th overall pick

He got injured in his rookie season but in his second season he took over as the full-time starter and has only missed 1 game since 2000. Center is probably the most underappreciated guy on the team from a fans perspective but if you have a guy anchoring your offensive line for over 10 years that’s pretty remarkable and deserving of recognition. Especially when he was drafted in the 7th round, 237th overall, as an afterthought despite being All-SEC as a junior and senior. McClure’s career will be coming to a close soon but he’s definitely a guy that bleeds Falcon red and a guy that I appreciate.

#2 Travis Hall- DE- BYU- 1995- 6th Round- 181st overall pick

Defensive Tackle is another one of those underappreciated positions where a lot of grunt work is done in the trenches that nobody ever sees. Travis was drafted 181st overall, in the 6th round, in the 1995 draft. Travis ended up playing 10 seasons for the Falcons and had 41.5 sacks in 10 years for the Falcons. For you math majors out there that’s 4 sacks a year from a guy picked in the 6th round (and he only played in 1 game his rookie season). From 1996 to 2001 he was a starter and averaged five and a half sacks over those peak years with 10.5 in 1997 and 6 in 1996. He was a huge part of the DL and made a big impact on the game. You don't find many 6th rounders doing that.

#1 Jamal Anderson- RB- Utah- 1994- 7th Round- 201st overall pick

It’s a strange coincidence that Jamaal Anderson is one of the biggest draft busts and Jamal Anderson is one of the biggest draft steals. Without Jamal Anderson the Falcons would have never made it to the Super Bowl during the 1998 season. In his first year Jamal played like that of a 7th round pick only getting 2 carries and totaling 1 yard lost. In his second season he only carried the ball 39 times for 161 yards but did find the end zone once. From 1996 to 1998 he was one of the best running backs in the National Football League and was a guy that defenders didn’t want to have to tackle because he had a tough running style. 1,055 yards in 1996, 1,002 in 1997 and then Dan Reeves rode him hard in 1998 for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns. He ran the ball 410 times in 2008 which was a record for NFL running backs at that time. Jamal is one of the best players ever to put on a Falcons uniform. Not bad for a 7th round pick!