Atlanta Falcons may have struck gold with Javian Hawkins pickup

The Atlanta Falcons‘ 2021 offseason is about to get a black eye, it seems, in the form of a Julio Jones trade. The once exciting possibility of seeing the three of Jones, Calvin Ridley, and 2021 first-round pick Kyle Pitts all out on the field together now seems like it has no chance of happening with a Jones trade likely on the near horizon.

Whether a trade ends up happening or not, the Atlanta Falcons have one of the league’s most inconspicuous running back groups, led by Mike Davis, who may have the biggest quads in the NFL.

One of Davis’ quads might equal one Javian Hawkins, an undrafted rookie running back for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 who might have a shot to be the lightning to Davis’ thunder.

Hawkins going undrafted may have been one of the more shocking developments of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Despite checking in at 5-foot-8, 183 pounds, Hawkins was one of the toughest running backs in college football and did some awesome work both in terms of gaining yards after contact and sticking his nose in pass protection, keeping the quarterback clean.

No, seriously.

Hawkins’ effort in pass protection was admirable. He could have gotten the ball more as a receiver out of the backfield if not for the number of pass pro blocks he was asked to throw.

Hawkins is explosive with tremendous long speed and acceleration, able to make something out of nothing when the backfield is clogged by changing directions and taking angles to avoid pursuit.

Despite being very small for the position, Hawkins proved himself to be pretty tough to tackle, bouncing off of defenders with quite a bit of regularity.

He’s got such a fascinating competitive toughness to him, so much so that after a fumble, he literally dropped to the ground and did pushups to punish himself.

He set Louisville’s single-season record with 1,525 rushing yards in 2019. He averaged over 100 yards per game in seven games of the 2020 season before opting out.

There were 18 running backs and a fullback drafted in 2021, and despite his lack of size, it’s hard to believe Hawkins wasn’t one of them.

There’s no doubt the Atlanta Falcons are sitting on an undrafted goldmine here, and although Mike Davis will assume RB1 roles, Hawkins could come into camp and take over RB2 duties sooner than later.