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Falcons should target athletic Georgia OL prospect to replace Drew Dalman
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- Falcons should target athletic Georgia OL prospect to replace Drew Dalman
Each year in the NFL, teams are forced to find replacements for the players they lose during the offseason. However, some replacements work out better than others. In 2022, the Atlanta Falcons attempted to replace former MVP quarterback Matt Ryan with Marcus Mariota and the results weren't pretty.
While the team finally solidified the quarterback position in 2024, Atlanta may be looking for someone new to snap the ball to Michael Penix Jr . in 2025. Center Drew Dalman , who has progressed into a quality starter over the last few seasons, is set to enter free agency next week.
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The Falcons certainly would like to bring Dalman back, but he may be out of their price range. ESPN recently projected the Houston Texans to sign Dalman in free agency. If Atlanta loses its starting center, the team won't have to look far for a replacement.
One potential option is Georgia's Jared Wilson. The Bulldogs offensive lineman displayed impressive athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine last week. According to Relative Athletic Score founder Kent Lee Platte, Wilson earned a "RAS" of 9.98 out of 10 -- the second-highest score recorded by a center since 1987.
The Falcons have consistently targeted offensive linemen with elite athletic scores. In 2023, the team traded up into the second round to select left guard Matthew Bergeron . The pick was questioned at the time but Bergeron has proved to be a quality starter during his two seasons in Atlanta.
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The former Syracuse standout also recorded an elite relative athletic score at the combine, as you can see in Platte's tweet below:
The draft is obviously an option for the Falcons to replace Dalman, but they could also look to sign a low-cost free agent to fill in this season. Reserve offensive lineman Ryan Neuzil did a solid job filling in when Dalman missed time due to an ankle injury in 2024.
Neuzil, 27, is also set to become a free agent but would be considerably cheaper than Dalman. Free agency officially starts on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons News: Georgia's Jared Wilson could replace Drew Dalman
