Atlanta Falcons get undrafted sleeper in DE Anthony Winbush
The Atlanta Falcons may have gotten themselves a big-time steal with the signing of defensive end Anthony Winbush out of Ball State…
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t emphasize the defensive front seven in the early rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft nearly as much as I had expected.
The Falcons capitalized on the fall of Calvin Ridley from Alabama in the first round, and understandably so. They took advantage of the fall of Isaiah Oliver in the second round in another understandable move.
After adding those two very talented young players, the Falcons finally turned to the defensive line in round three with South Florida’s Deadrin Senat.
The Falcons needed to find some depth off the edge in this rookie class, and they may have done so with the signing of undrafted free agent Anthony Winbush from Ball State.
Winbush plays every snap at 100 miles per hour it feels like, and he can provide the Falcons with some nice pass rush depth if he can come in and win a roster spot.
Undersized at 6-foot-1, 249 pounds, Winbush is not long enough to play base end in the NFL in a 4-3 alignment, and he’s also not quick enough to play in space as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment.
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Because of a lack of a true position to play on all three downs, Winbush went undrafted. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of production.
Winbush racked up 32.5 tackles for loss and 25 sacks over the past three seasons, along with eight forced fumbles.
Five of those forced fumbles came in 2017.
Even with his lack of length, Winbush was able to win a ton as a pass rusher in college by pure effort and excellent upper body strength.
Give this guy a shot to get to the quarterback, and he is going to get the job done.
What I see for Winbush at the next level is the possibility of a player who can provide a rush on third down while developing an expanded arsenal of moves to try and get him on the field for more than just 15-20 percent of snaps.
He went to the right situation with a creative defensive staff that will be able to find ways to get him on the field more often when he proves himself capable as a rotational rusher.