There’s nothing that’s easy about selecting players in the NFL Draft. Sure, the first round offers a great crop of talent, but even that’s a challenging task for an NFL general manager and his scouting staff.

The real art of drafting, however, occurs in the later rounds, when finding that elusive diamond in the rough is what every GM hopes for. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has shown prowess in those later rounds in his time in Atlanta.

With three seventh-round picks in 2013′s NFL Draft, Dimitroff had the ability to show once again that there’s talent to be found late on the third day, and he did so by drafting two safeties and a quarterback.

Central Florida’s Kemal Ishmael, the first of those three picks, looks to have all the potential in the world on paper and comes into next week’s start of OTAs with a solid college career, specifically in the tackling department.

Ishmael, in fact, was called one of the surest tacklers in the 2013 draft by Dimitroff — extremely high praise for a seventh-rounder.

Here’s why: Ishmael finished his four year career at UCF with 368 total tackles — good enough to be the Knights’ all-time leader in tackles among defensive backs and the third player in UCF history to lead the team in tackles three times during his college career.

Sure, the argument can be made that tackles are a subjective stat and kept differently everywhere, but to be in position to be credited with 368 career tackles is still a feat.

For comparison, Falcons safeties William Moore earned 280 in four years at Missouri and Thomas DeCoud had 115 in three years at Cal. Linebacker Akeem Dent had 240 at Georgia in four years and Sean Weatherspoon edged out Ishmael with 406 total tackles in four years at Missouri.

With two Pro Bowl safeties in Moore and DeCoud ahead of him, Ishmael looks like a strong contender to make an impact on special teams with his tackling skills. He’s certainly one to keep an eye on as the offseason rolls on.

Experts say you can’t truly judge a team’s draft until about three years after the picks are made. Of course, that doesn’t stop those same experts from releasing their draft grades the day after the selection process ends.

Here’s a look at some of the draft grades for the Falcons around the Web:

Mel Kiper, ESPN.com:

“Thomas Dimitroff isn’t afraid to make aggressive moves on the draft board… The great get for Atlanta was a second-round double down, when the Falcons took another corner. Robert Alford was a CB I had rated higher than Darius Slay and David Amerson, so he was a steal on my board all the way down at No. 60.” Grade: B

BleacherReport.com:

“Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff needed to do one thing in this year’s draft: improve Atlanta’s secondary. Otherwise, they had the freedom to get the best players available and build more depth. The Falcons addressed the secondary with their first two picks, taking cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford in Rounds 1 and 2. They rounded this out with two mid-round defensive ends, Malliciah Goodman and Stansly Maponga, and a tight end, Levine Toilolo, in between.” Grade: A

Rotoworld.com

“The Falcons may receive universally mediocre draft “grades,” but there is a method to GM Thomas Dimitroff’s madness. Beyond day-one starter Trufant and 2014 hopeful Alford, Dimitroff targeted players for specific on-field roles. … Ultimately, Dimitroff wasn’t trying to load up on stars in this draft. He added role players to upgrade the bottom third of his roster.” Grade: C+

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com:

“Give the Falcons a lot of credit. They wanted Trufant and went out and landed him. They are close and they needed a corner. It works.” Grade: B

Rob Rang, CBSSports.com

“While taking the best-player-available strategy sounds good, I am a strong believer in teams identifying their own weaknesses and aggressively addressing them. This is precisely the route the Falcons took, nabbing two of the better cover corners in this draft in Washington’s Desmond Trufant in the first and Southeastern Louisiana’s Robert Alford in the third.” Grade: B

SI.com

“The Falcons absolutely had to find some help in the secondary, so they moved up for CB Desmond Trufant, then doubled down on Robert Alford. The move for Trufant did cost them a third-rounder, which left them taking a shot on DE Malliciah Goodman in Round 4. Sleeper here: QB Sean Renfree in the seventh” Grade: B

What’s your grade?

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff will field questions from the media at 3 p.m. ET Thursday at the Falcons’ training facility in Flowery Branch.

Among the topics Dimitroff will likely speak on is how the Falcons are viewing the potential options available at the No. 30 overall selection.

AtlantaFalcons.com will stream Dimitroff’s news conference live Thursday.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff got an early start Thursday morning, less than 12 hours after news that defensive end Osi Umenyiora had agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Falcons, as he joined 790 The Zone’s Mayhem in the AM to discuss the brand new move.

Here’s a bit of what Dimitroff had to say to the 790 The Zone crew:

“We’re excited about having Osi join us. It was a long, drawn-out process — not painful at all. We had a lot of things to work through and we’re pleased that we could take care of it last night. … I think it’s the whole package with Osi. Osi brings to the table a lot of experience. … Here’s a guy who has a few championships in his portfolio so to speak and he’s a guy that can get up and around the corner. He’s got the ability to speed the power rush. He’s a real hard-nosed, competitive guy, and I think it’s gonna be good for our team. He’s a piece, as we’ve talked before. Any of the moves that we’ve made in free agency or in the draft, this is not about one person. We’re excited about having Osi on board and I’m sure he’ll fit into this scheme well.”

Asked if there was the potential to add another pass rusher, namely former Falcon John Abraham, before the draft, Dimitroff said, “As you guys know, we do never say never. It’s always about making sure that we look at how the team is coming together and so, yes, I would say never say never.”

The Falcons started the weekend by announcing some tough decisions, that the team would be parting ways with veterans Michael Turner, John Abraham and Dunta Robinson.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff joined the media on the phone Friday afternoon to discuss the moves, which he called difficult decisions yet thoughtful ones.

“I want to begin by saying, obviously, these are never easy decisions to make and a lot of thought goes into these types of decisions,” Dimitroff said. “These three men have meant a great deal to the success of this organization over the last few years, since we’ve been here in 2008. I want to personally thank John, Dunta and Michael for all their contributions.”

The moves didn’t come without a plan behind it, and Dimitroff was understandably tight-lipped about the details of it Friday afternoon.

Dimitroff said there are a number of positions he and his staff want to hone in on, either through free agency or the draft, but said there are still a lot of moving parts. He said, however, that this move doesn’t take much of Tony Gonzalez’s looming decision on retirement into consideration. Instead, Dimitroff said it was a business decision that will allow the team to take a clear look at the direction of the organization with the focus being on retaining what the team already has.

“Given these three moves, again, our focus has always been that we hone in on our players that are currently on our team and our attempt to try to re-sign our football players,” Dimitroff said. “That’s going to be our focus first and foremost.”

Less than 24 hours after the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine came to a close, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is already back in Flowery Branch, hard at work breaking down the numbers and figures from more than 300 players that worked out in Indianapolis over the weekend and early part of this week.

Sitting at No. 30 overall in the first round, Dimitroff told AtlantaFalcons.com on Wednesday morning that he’s quite content with the type of players that will be around on the board when the Falcons go on the clock after seeing what this year’s draft class has to offer at the Combine.

“Normally when you go into a Combine and you’re assessing the draft and you’re sitting at the back end of the draft, i.e. 30 like we are, you wonder who you’re going to pick at 30 and you wonder what type of talent will be there at 30,” Dimitroff said. “And I will say that this year, there will be a very good football player at the back end of that first round. I’m excited about the depth of this first round. There may not be a huge ‘wow’ factor overall from the standpoint of players that are worthy of jumping up 21 spots to pick, but I will say that there are some very good football players and that’s where it’s a good place to be at 30.”

Even without that “wow” factor among this year’s class, Dimitroff sees it as very deep, from top to bottom, meaning he expects the Falcons can find good value not just at 30 overall, but into the middle and later rounds, as well.

With the Falcons’ current situation with the level of talent already on the roster and other circumstances that come into play during the free agency period, Dimitroff said the Falcons — like many other teams in the league — are focused more on roster maintenance as opposed to a roster overhaul.

“That’s just the way that it is,” Dimitroff said. “With the money the way it is right now, you have to be very mindful of having those young guys, those middle-round guys that you’re truly going to focus on developing — that’s huge in this league right now. Coaching staffs have to be mindful of developing for roster maintenence. That said, I think this year’s draft, I think there are some solid core guys in the mid rounds.”

In the immediate future, a good chunk of Dimitroff’s time will be spent sitting down and pouring over tape with Falcons director of player personnel Lionel Vital as the two will break down all aspects of players they’ve targeted from the Combine.

While there’s plenty Dimitroff, Vital and the scouting staff can see during the four days of workouts in Indianapolis, the real critique happens in the weeks after when they can sit down and really delve into what they saw live and what they saw on tape to determine what more they need to learn about certain players before trying to nail it down to a few targets.

“We are analyzing every one of the players on film where we’re able to actually rewind the video time and again to analyze their movement, take their numbers into consideration, take their interview information into consideration, take the medical into consideration, and we’re bringing it together in one full package to categorize that player,” Dimitroff said. “As I mentioned before, we don’t necessarily move someone up or down based on the Combine information and numbers, but we do adjust.”

Four years ago when Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff made the trade for future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, he knew what he was getting — a hard-worker whose career resume spoke for itself.

What Dimitroff may not have expected was how Gonzalez would change his own perceptions of the tight end position and how important he would make it.

Speaking to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday, Dimitroff was asked about the tight end position — one that could be of need, regardless of what Gonzalez decides is the best future for him — and Dimitroff didn’t hesitate to explain just how important the position is to the Falcons after seeing what Gonzalez has been capable of.

“To catch over 100 balls in a season as a 36-year-old is unbelievable, and I think, what he’s done on the field and off the field for us, it has changed our opinion of what a tight end is, at least what our goals are in acquiring a tight end,” Dimitroff said. “That doesn’t come around just every day, and we know that.”

Watch the full video of Thomas Dimitroff’s press conference at the Combine here.

The 2013 draft class at the tight end position looks deep and impressive, and Dimitroff said as much during his Friday press conference. Whether the Falcons will ultimately pull the trigger on Gonzalez’s eventual successor is yet to be know, but Dimitroff said the group will get a look from the Falcons.

“We talk about it all the time when we’re in our draft room, if you can find a tight end who can block, as well as run a route, separate, catch a ball and turn upfield — and there are a number of them in the league right now. It’s not just Tony Gonzalez,” Dimitroff said. “(There’s) a number of these tight ends who have been very prolific in our league and are such high-percentage shots that make us all realize the importance of the position and we definitely don’t underestimate when we’re evaluating.”

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff knows that a big to-do for him in the next year is to lock quarterback Matt Ryan up into a contract extension as it expires after next season.

But Dimitroff said Friday at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine that he’s sure a deal will get done at some point in the future, but there’s no rush.

“It’s a priority for us when the time is right. We’re not too anxious about it because we’re confident that it’s going to get done,” Dimitroff told the media. “Our feeling is that Matt’s going to be with us for many years to come and he’s going to be our franchise guy that we’re all very proud of, again, on and off the field. Matt’s what we’re looking for in a quarterback.”

Watch full video of Thomas Dimitroff’s press conference at the Combine here.

As we all wait anxiously to see what tight end Tony Gonzalez decides to do, whether it be return for another year or hang up the cleats, the Falcons have to push forward, and that starts this week.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff this week and discussed the Falcons’ desire for Gonzalez to return as well as the need to scout tight ends at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine, which begins this week.

Dimitroff told Ledbetter that the sooner the Falcons know what Gonzalez’s plans are, the better, but there’s no timetable set for his decision on Gonzalez’s side or the Falcons’.

Said Dimitroff:

“He’s still a very adept and athletic tight end in our minds and can continue to help us win a lot of games. But again, it’s ultimately up to Tony to make that decision for himself and his family.”

There are plenty of tight ends available in this year’s NFL Draft — a class thought to be very deep at the position Gonzalez revolutionized.

Word came Sunday night that a brand new test would be introduced at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, and Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff was one of a handful of NFL executives who provided input into the creation of the test.

Details on what the actual test is are unknown at this point, but according to a memo send around the league, it will focus on a player’s “non-physical capabilities, aptitudes and strengths.”

NFL prospects already go through the Wonderlic test during the Combine, which measures a player’s intelligence and ability to think quickly and make decisions. The new test will not replace the Wonderlic.

If you’ve ever wondered how you’d perform in the Wonderlic, click here to take a sample test and see how you stack up against NFL players.

It doesn’t take much to draw a correlation between general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s draft classes since coming on board with the Falcons in 2008 and the success the team has experienced during that five-season span. A big reason for the Falcons’ five-straight winning seasons — the first and only such span in team history — is because the Falcons have drafted well and developed those classes into players that can help the team.

Since Dimitroff took over as general manager, he’s made 38 total selections. Of those players, 31 are still active in the NFL with 30 still on the Falcons roster — good enough to be considered one of the top teams in the league in percentage of drafted players still active in 2012.

The key number for the Falcons, however, is that they are tied for second in the league with the New York Jets in that category with 81.5 percent of drafted players still in the game in 2012.

The group of 38 picks is responsible for 553 starts since 2008, accounting for around three percent of starts during the five-season period, according to DraftMetrics.com.

During the span, the Philadelphia Eagles had the most draft picks with 51 total (the Falcons tied for 25th in that category) and also have the most players still active with 37. Kansas City has gotten the most starts out of their draft picks since 2008 with 687 among 44 total selections. Houston has the highest percentage of drafted players still active, however, with 82.5 percent.

Past Five Seasons

* – Tied with SF, AZ, DET, MIN
** – Tied with CLE, SEA
*** – Tied with NYJ

Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel joined 790 The Zone’s Dave Archer and Mike Bell on Monday afternoon and discussed a wide array of topics in his few minutes on air, including his thoughts on what the Falcons need to do this offseason and how much his injured shoulder affected his 2012 season.

On offseason moves, Samuel was hesitant to put his general manager hat on, but did express a lot of faith in Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith to make the changes necessary to get the Falcons over the top.

But added that the biggest thing that he thinks will help the Falcons in 2013 is simply the extra year everyone has been together.

“We definitely need to get better on offense, defense and special teams, but I think more than anything, the time that we’re gonna have together is going to be more essential than anything,” Samuel said Monday. “It was my first year here. We had a new defensive coordinator (Mike Nolan), it being his first year here. Just all of us being able to click together and have camaraderie is going to (make us) a lot better next year.”

Samuel was a crucial addition to the Falcons in the 2012 offseason, especially after losing cornerback Brent Grimes to a season-ending Achilles injury at the start of the year. From the left cornerback position, Samuel chipped in with five interceptions to help boost a secondary that, overall, saw a lot of success because of the attitude and swagger that Samuel brought to the group.

The veteran cornerback was slowed a bit in 2012 by a nagging shoulder injury that never quite could seem to get back to 100 percent. He told Archer and Bell that it’s currently “perfectly OK,” but said it was a tough injury to play through.

“It affected me… just with the shoulder being hurt, you can’t be as strong as you want and do some of the things you want to,” Samuel said. “You just have to compensate, but you’ve got to go out there and make sure you’re helping your team more than you’re hurting the team, so I went out there and did my thing.”

He certainly did that as he put together some gutsy performances down the stretch, perhaps the most notable at Tampa Bay, helping the Falcons secure a one-point win over the Bucs during a game where he looked to be in a lot of pain.

What’s your take on Samuel’s addition to the team?

Falcons owner & chairman Arthur Blank, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith will be making appearances at Radio Row in New Orleans this week, stopping by plenty of radio stations to talk about the Falcons’ 2012 season and their plans for 2013.

Below is the schedule for each and links, where applicable, to listen online or get more information on how to listen in. All times Eastern.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30
Head coach Mike Smith
3:45 p.m. – Sirius NFL Radio’s Movin’ the Chains with Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan
4 p.m. – 790 the Zone with Dave Archer and Mike Bell
4:20 p.m. – 92.9 The Game with Carl Dukes, Kordell Stewart and Rachel Baribeau
4:45 p.m. – NBC Pro Football Talk Live with Peter King, Mike Florio and Erik Kuselias
6:30 p.m. – NFL Network Coaches Show with Brian Billick and Dennis Green. Check your local TV listings.
Thursday, 12:30 p.m. – A taped interview with Smith and hosts Buck & Kincade will air on 680 The Fan

THURSDAY, JAN. 31
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
1:15 p.m. – Sirius NFL Radio with Adam Schein and Rich Gannon
1:30 p.m. - 92.9 The Game with Jerome Jurenovich and Jamie Dukes
1:40 p.m. – CBS Radio with Jim Rome
2 p.m. – 790 The Zone with Dave Archer and Mike Bell
5 p.m. – NBC Pro Football Talk Live with Peter King, Mike Florio and Erik Kuselias

FRIDAY, FEB. 1
Owner & Chairman Arthur Blank
2 p.m. – Sirius NFL Radio with Adam Schein and Rich Gannon
2:15 p.m. – 680 The Fan with Buck and Kincade
2:30 p.m. – 790 The Zone with Hans Heiserer and John Michaels
2:45 p.m. – 92.9 The Game with Carl Dukes, Kordell Stewart and Rach Baribeau

With an injury to starting middle linebacker Akeem Dent that will keep him from Thursday’s game against Cincinnati, fortunately, James won’t have to worry about picking up the slack since the two play different positions, but if he was asked to play more, he would in a heartbeat.

It’s pretty much impossible, however, for James to play any more than he did last Thursday against Baltimore — a game during which he logged 62 snaps. That’s the most he’s seen the field since his days of starting for Arizona State.

“I was pretty tired after that,” James said Tuesday. “I’ve gotta get it right. Gotta hydrate up this week.”

Because it’s the preseason, it’s his time to shine and prove that he belongs in one of the 53 final spots on the roster — and he’s off to a great start.

In relief against the Ravens, James led the team in unassisted tackles with 5.0 and also recorded a sack. General manager Thomas Dimitroff, talking to CBS Atlanta during an interview aired while the game was going on Thursday, had high remarks for the veteran linebacker and thinks he could settle into a more permanent spot on the roster.

“Robert’s worked really, really hard in the offseason,” Dimitroff told CBS Atlanta. “He has an element of hustle and urgent athleticism. He has playmaking ability and hopefully he really comes into his own in this scheme.”

James recognizes that he has a long way to go before he can feel settled, but he’s thankful for the playing time he’s getting and the opportunity to make the most of all the snaps he can get — even if he gets another 62.

“I felt a little rusty. Like I said, it’s been a while since I played that many snaps,” James said. “I played a lot of special teams and defense, as well, but I think this game (against Cincinnati) will be a better game. I’m hoping for the best.”

Jay Adams: What does the experience of Asante Samuel add to the defensive backfield?

Tim Lewis: Just what you said: the experience, and all that. He’s bringing 45 interceptions, 140-plus pass breakups, nine years of experience, four Pro Bowls — his resume speaks for itself. He’s a very talented player. I’ve watched him play over the course of his career and admired what he’s done from afar. Of course, I’ve never coached him before, but I’ve seen what he’s done in either games that we’ve played against him or in crossover breakdown tape that I’ve watched. He’s a good football player.

JA: You get a guy like Samuel, who’s known for his physical play, and you add him to a secondary with Dunta Robinson and William Moore, who aren’t shy in that department either. Do you see physicality being the hallmark of this secondary in 2012?

TL: Yes, I would think so. I would think any secondary that I’ve been associated with, or any team that I’ve been associated with, I think physicality is synonymous with the name on the back of the jersey and the name of the organization. This club is no different. The Atlanta Falcons have a physical defense, primarily because that’s our owner (and chairman) Arthur Blank’s mentality, that’s our general manager (Thomas Dimitroff’s) mentality and our head coach (Mike Smith’s) mentality, is tough, physical, smart, athletic football players win.

JA: After free agency and the franchise tag was settled, you ended up with a lot of continuity in the secondary. How much does that help?

TL: Tremendously. Any time you can line up a group of guys week in and week out, they start to get a feel for one another, they start to get a feel for the system. Of course, the system has changed and we’ll start to do some things different with (defensive coordinator Mike) Nolan than we’ve done in the past. It’s really a neat thing because all of the older guys are being challenged to learn new things and to really re-invent themselves inside of the system, and I think the system will allow them to make plays and I think they’re all excited about it. I think they’re starting to see that a bit now. They’re all enthused and I think that enthusiasm is going to carry over to, hopefully, productivity during the season. It is refreshing to see them run around with a smile on their face, energized and challenged. I think the challenge is what they’re looking forward to — learning something new, fitting into it, watching it work for them. Any time that you’ve got a defense or a system that the players are comfortable with and having fun with, they have a tendency to go faster. That’s what we’re excited about.

JA: I know a big part of the offseason for you is evaluating the previous season. What were your big takeaways from 2011?

TL: Well, the big takeaway was that we were good, but not good enough. We played well at times. We were not overly consistent all the time, but by the same token, there was some light at the end of the tunnel. Moving forward, what you try to do is you try to evaluate where you’ve been, like we did, and at the same time, trying to prepare for the new year. I think all the steps that we’ve taken thus far, either in free agency or the draft, have put us on track to get better than we were before. That’s what our overall goal is: to get better and move forward, and never letting the last play, so-to-speak, hold us back from the next play. Just like in golf, the next shot is the most important shot, and that’s what we’ve done. So this coming year is even more important than the last.

JA: Obviously, the attention is going to be on Brent Grimes, Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson, but you’ve got good, young talent in Dominique Franks and Chris Owens. What’s your assessment of where they are in their respective careers?

TL: They’ve moved forward. Everybody has. I think they’ve all gotten better, and I think the addition of Asante will continue to help the level of all of boats, so-to-speak, rise. The bottom line is, we’ve added another talented player and all of them will look to see what he’s done or what he’s doing and hopefully, they can assimilate some of the techniques that he brings to the table and some of the moves and so forth that he brings into their games. He’ll help everyone. He’ll help me as a coach, and I’ll learn just as much from him as he’ll learn from me, and I think that’s a good thing. I’m excited about watching the young guys watch his work ethic, watch his technique, and they can all pick something up from him, but I do like the progress of where those two young guys (Franks and Owens) are and I’m excited about watching them continue to grow.

Dimitroff is the 39th winner of the Horrigan Award and is the first NFL general manager since 2006 and third member of the Falcons organization to earn the honor from PFWA. President & CEO Rich McKay was named the Horrigan Award winner in 2005.

The Horrigan Award is given to the league or club official for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job. The award is named for Horrigan, who was a sportswriter for UPI and the Buffalo Evening News, public relations director for the American Football League (1963-66) and vice president of public relations for the Buffalo Bills (1966-73).

“Thomas has been very accommodating to the media, both locally and nationally,” said PFWA First Vice-President, D. Orlando Ledbetter, who covers the Falcons for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It is not surprise that the PFWA members have chosen to recognize his efforts. He made himself available to local and national members before the Julio Jones trade was announced to explain the team’s rationale. Once the lockout was over, he provided access through the frenzied start of training camp and the free-agency period to our members. This accessibility continued throughout the season and into the playoffs.”

Dimitroff began on Peachtree Road NW with the majority of his route following Buford Highway and ending at the Falcons Training Facility at 4400 Falcon Parkway in Flowery Branch.

He was joined by members of the Falcons front office, as well as Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC) Board Chair Atiba Mbiwan, owner of Free-Flite Bicycles Dan Thornton, ABC members and volunteers Tim Ho and Jeffrey Wisard, and ABC League Cycling Instructor Neil Walker.

Below are some photos from this morning’s ride:

Falcons U is designed to provide and teach important life skills, both on and off the field, for rookies making the transition into the NFL. Throughout the three-day program, rookies will learn how to be successful, how to deal with that success and what they can do to keep a clean reputation off the field.

On Tuesday, the rookies gathered to hear a few inspirational words from Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank, who stressed the importance of giving back to the community and making the most of the opportunity they have in front of them to make someone else’s life better.

“We want to tell the community that we are engaged not just on Sundays, but Mondays-through-Saturdays, as well,” Blank told the rookies. “Without fans, we have two groups of 11 guys playing sandlot football. … Remember that when asked for autographs and photos.”

Blank shared the success stories of his life, from helping to found Home Depot to buying the Falcons, and also the mistakes he made along the way that helped him learn how to succeed.

DE Jonathan Massaquoi, a fifth-round pick by the Falcons out of Troy, spoke up to ask the Falcons owner and chairman what his personal motto has been throughout his life.

Blank responded: “There is no finish line.” Those words resonated with the 2012 Rookie Club.

“I plan on getting a lot of knowledge. I plan on getting a lot of good information to help not just along my rookie process, but through the long haul,” Massaquoi said after Tuesday’s sessions. “If the Lord blesses me to continue my career in the league for so many odd years, I’m going to take this on to my life skills. Hopefully, I can give this off to other people around me and they can feel the same positive effect I did.”

The rookies also heard from general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who spoke with them candidly about the opportunity they have in front of them. As one of the people who ultimately decides their future in Atlanta, he stressed the importance realizing what they have to do to make the roster.

Asked by tight end Aron White what he felt were the biggest mistakes rookies generally make, Dimitroff replied by saying they pass on the opportunity that’s presented to them, and added that the Falcons are looking to keep around players who embody the three P’s: Positivity, passion and perseverance.

“Everyone has the opportunity to make the best of their situation,” Dimitroff said. “Grasp it. Go big or go home.”

Dr. Earl Sutter, the chairman and CEO of Leadership Success International, got the positive energy going in the room later in the day as he presented rookies with tips and tricks on how to be mentally positive and make good decisions in their pro careers. An interactive and fun-filled hour, Sutter’s presentations got the rookies out of their seats for plenty of laughs and team building.

Click here to see a photo gallery from Dr. Sutter’s presentation

The rookies will learn more in the coming days about finance, the importance of credit and what social media can mean for them. We’ll have more on AtlantaFalcons.com and on Twitter @Atlanta_Falcons.

Last week, he spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of his circumstances at this year’s draft during his pre-draft press conference and later expounded on some of those points when I had a chance to speak with him one-on-one.

Here are my five questions with him:

Jay Adams: You’ve said before that this is your season. Head coach Mike Smith has fall and winter, but the spring is really when you do the bulk of your work. In that context, what’s the draft for you?

Thomas Dimitroff: Having been a scout all my career and then moving into management with a scouting background, this is our one game a year that we have. The focus continues to build, build and build until, obviously, up to when the draft starts and through the draft. So there’s this excitement that continues to build, and the idea of improving a team to hopefully help us break through that door that Arthur Blank referred to — we’re knocking on the door, we haven’t broken through yet — that’s one of those things that always provides motivation for me and I know Mike Smith, as co-team builder. We have a very adept scouting staff led by Dave Caldwell, our personnel director, and Lionel Vital, our associate personnel director, as well as the rest of our staff, who are very, very in tune. We have a very focused staff and they provide all the information that we need to get us ready for our final decisions, because, in the very end, it comes down to myself and Mike Smith as per the player we’re going to pick at 55 or 84 or 157. It’s a one-game season for us on the personnel side and there are a lot of pressures there and in inordinate amount of time and research that goes into picking these players. I would say that, when the draft is over, it’s honestly like finishing a season of football because there’s a lot of work that goes into it.

JA: We looked at the draft retention numbers recently and the numbers you’ve been able to amass in that category are certainly striking. This year was really, for all intents and purposes, a chance to re-sign your first draft class and you brought a good amount back. For a player being drafted by the Falcons, how much of a commitment should they view their selection as?

TD: It’s a huge commitment, Jay. Obviously — let’s call it the way it is — it may be descending from the first pick to your final pick. The commitment is going to be that much stronger at the front end of the draft. That said, everyone we take in the draft, we are committing to and we are giving them every opportunity to make the football team, and that’s very important to us. As you mentioned earlier, we’re very encouraged and proud of our retention rate because it’s something we feel very strongly about. When you’re building a football team and you’re attempting to be fiscally responsible, that’s an important thing. It’s also bringing certain players through your system, year in and year out, so that you can truly create the type of player that you want to sign to not only a second contract, but potentially a third. If, as an organization, your scouting staff and your personnel people have done all the research in the proper manner, I feel that we all in the league should have very sound retention rates because that’s where we spend millions and millions of dollars, researching and scouting players to come into our team. Obviously, there are situations — be it injuries or other unfortunate situations that occur — from organization to organization where they don’t re-sign a player or they lose a player or, quite honestly, a blunder or a bust happens. Quite honestly, that can happen. We understand that. It’s part of it. It’s not an exact science. What you can do is be as thoughtful, as acute in your focus and as well-researched as possible at so many levels to eliminate the uncertainties going into the draft, and that’s what I feel our staff has done a fine job with in the four seasons we’ve been here.

JA: Fans always have an idea of what they consider needs coming into any particular year, but as an NFL GM, how do you go about determining what the needs actually are, or are not?

TD: We have conversations with our scouting and our coaching staff, some together with the scouts and coaches, some separate, some with Mike Smith, myself and our coordinators, some with our owner. There are countless discussions and meetings to determine where our weaknesses may be, where we need to strengthen our depth and, in the end, we come to a consensus decision about where we truly need to pick, whether it’s in this year’s draft or whether it’s in free agency. Another part of the equation that’s not talked about that much is continuing to project into the next year’s draft or next year’s free agency, as well. You need to take the entire picture, not only this year but in years to come, so that you can determine if, in fact, you don’t acquire a certain need this year, can you acquire it in next year’s draft or next year’s group of free agency? Can you hold off a year before you address that certain need? We do categorize our needs and prioritize our needs, as well, so that will determine a lot of times what we do in the draft or free agency.

JA: A year ago at this time, we were talking about all the uncertainty that comes with picking at No. 27 overall because of all the things that could happen before you go on the clock. Of course, now we’re talking about double the number of picks before the Falcons select. You talked a little about uncertainty in you press conference, but how much does the number of picks ahead of you change your mindset?

TD: Interestingly enough, our focus has been on 55, but we make sure that we are thoroughly evaluating all the players in the top tier of the board. We all know who all those names are so we won’t go into specifics. We feel that we know them, for the most part, inside and out — at least, that’s our hope. But we are very focused on our projections about who may be there at 55 and we will put extra focus, as you can imagine, on that area. What that does is it limits the time you’re spending on the very top of the board as far as discussions and meetings, and has you focused on a different part of the board. It also has you focused on what we call our “side board,” and the bottom part of our draft board because there are so many different things that can happen at 55 that may prevent us or allow us to pick later on in the draft. Back to the uncertainties, it’s one of those things that we’re very mindful of. Our focus has been on the 55 projected players as well as the down-the-line players on the draft board that could affect what we do at 55. It sounds like a puzzle, and it is.

JA: With the draft being three days now, it’s a marathon and it’s constant. I imagine it’s got to be crazy for you. When you get to Day 3 and you get into the sixth and seventh rounds, how do you keep from letting the monotony get to you?

TD: The monotony of what you may feel in the media or the fanbase may feel waiting, there is so much more action going on in the war room and in our building, discussing players, watching, analyzing what’s happening, analyzing the needs from other teams that are picking before us — there’s a lot of action, whether it’s the first pick in this case at 55 all the way through the draft when we pick at 249 with our compensatory pick. There will be action. There’s not a bore. There may be a bore from some of the people that are watching the draft from the backseats, but when you’re involved and it is about building your team and you’re very particular about every draft pick, there’s no monotony there for us.

We’ll have complete video of the press conference available tonight on AtlantaFalcons.com, but until then, here are three things that struck me in listening to Dimitroff’s plans, philosophy and approach to next week.

Don’t sleep on the trade
The Falcons made huge waves last year in trading up from No. 27 to No. 6 to snag Julio Jones, giving up a handful of picks — including this year’s first- and fourth-rounders — to make the jump. Of course, that limits what Dimitroff can do in this year’s draft, but don’t think for a minute that he’s tossed trade scenarios out the window: “Far be it for us to move around in the draft,” Dimitroff said, tongue planted firmly in cheek, “however, that said, if opportunities present themselves for us to move forward or back, we’d consider it. I do believe we are in a spot right now with our roster that if we feel that, if in fact we remain at (pick No. 55 overall), we believe that we will definitely acquire a player that’s going to be very beneficial to our roster and building this team. We feel confident that there are going to be a lot of good players around 55, as well as 84 (third round) and moving into 157 (fifth round).” Later in his press conference, he added: “We have dialed in on certain players at a number of positions that we would consider moving up for, if, in fact, it presented itself.”

Offensive line is a focus
Dimitroff said that, at this point, he’s got his second-round selection pegged down to just a couple of positions. He wouldn’t expound on that, and rightfully so, with the draft so close, but whatever position he and the front office ultimately decide to go with on that first selection, the offensive line will be somewhere in the back of Dimitroff’s mind throughout the three days of the draft. He explains: “Offensive lines, as a group historically, you’re going to have years where you’re up and, honestly, you can have years that are down and challenging. We, obviously, last year had a challenging year, even though we were sixth in sacks given up. We had some challenges along our offensive line. We feel we have a good core of offensive linemen. There’s no question that we can continue to build our depth along our offensive line. I feel we have some smart guys, I feel we have some tough guys and we feel we have some adept guys as per skills on the field, whether it’s run blocking or pass blocking. We all know how important it is to protect Deuce (Matt Ryan)… We will always consider the possibilities of fortifying that offensive line, and that’s obviously something that we need to be very mindful of if we want to continue to take this to the next level.”

He’s been walking the talk
The sentiment among some fans has been that the Falcons haven’t done enough during the offseason to ensure that they’ll take a step forward when the season kicks off in September. Dimitroff’s stance and rhetoric, however, has always been that a tweak here and there could make all the difference. The Falcons, since the end of the season, have made significant moves in ensuring that talent that was drafted here stays here, and while the movement may not be the influx of outside talent some fans were looking for, it ensures continuity at positions and building on a foundation that has been solid to begin with. Adding to the confidence in what’s already here has been the perspective new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan have brought to the meeting rooms, as they have noticed promise and potential in players that are already on the roster: “We do have a very sound foundation here. We didn’t talk about radically changing this roster. We feel we have a very good foundation, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve in certain areas. Having listened to the coordinators talk about their respective sides of the ball, we realize there are certain positions here that we can go in and really focus on in the draft and one or two here or there where we truly believe that — after all is said and done, we look at it and talk to the coordinators again — they will say this offensive or defensive team is where we want this to be. We feel like we can break through to the next stage.”

While fans are eager to hear anything, even so much as a ridiculous rumor, out of the Falcons in the three days since free agency started, Dimitroff isn’t the type to tip his hand one way or another.

He did, however, lend some insight into what may be the Falcons’ strategy during the free agency period this week when he appeared on an NFL.com podcast with Matt “Money” Smith and Bucky Brooks.

“I was interested to see how the market would pan out at a couple of positions,” Dimitroff told Smith and Brooks, “and it’s kind of played out how I expected this year.”

Dimitroff and his staff have been hard at work since the season ended, focusing on free agency and the draft. They’ve poured over every scenario imaginable and, based on their findings, have put together a plan for the two crucial offseason periods. While plenty of teams have been in a frenzy with free agents since the period started, others have sat back and taken a more methodical approach.

For Dimitroff, as he said on the podcast, that might mean following that approach to a tee.

“Every year since we’ve been here, we’ve taken a free agent. That’s helped us go into the draft. The first year, as you know, it was Michael Turner. The second year, we considered the Tony Gonzalez trade to be a free agent move. The year after that it was Dunta Robinson and the year after that, last year, it was Ray Edwards,” he said. “Again, (the free agency period) really allows a team to be aggressive enough to get someone in place so that they don’t have to just use the draft to build, and for us, as you know, we do not have a first-round pick this year or a fourth-round (pick), so free agency is going to be important. Does it mean, Bucky, that we need to be very aggressive at the beginning of free agency? It means we have to have a really good feel of what free agency may offer us throughout weeks to come.”

Listen to the entire podcast here. Dimitroff’s comments begin shortly after the 30-minute mark.

With the free agency period still less than 24 hours old and the moves around the rest of the league coming fast and furious, the Falcons are holding true to the points made in that press conference.

“We have 17 free agents this year that we need to look at. We have a lot of work to do with our analyzation and scrutiny of our team, as well,” Dimitroff said during the January press conference. “There’s a foundation here in place. I’m not suggesting at all that we’re going to blow anything up.”

The Falcons have been aggressive in keeping their own recently, signing safety Thomas DeCoud, tight end Michael Palmer, running back Antone Smith, running back Jason Snelling and defensive end Kroy Biermann and agreeing to terms with backup quarterback Chris Redman and wide receiver Harry Douglas. In that same press conference, Dimitroff said he thought “seven or eight” would be a realistic guess as to how many of the Falcons’ 17 free agents the team would be able to keep.

Adding to that, however, are the signings of free agent guard Vince Manuwai and free agent linebacker Lofa Tatupu, both of whom can make a big impact with the team. Those two make nine new contracts in the past week the Falcons have doled out, but as they mentioned in January, they won’t be eager to just hand out anything.

“We’ll continue to, again, analyze this roster. There are no… sacred cows. No question about it. I don’t care where we drafted them or how we’ve acquired them in free agency,” Dimitroff said back in January, as Blank added: “There might be some sacrificial cows, but no sacred cows”

ESPN.com NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas writes more draft gold today, focusing on the past players drafted at the slots of each of the NFC South teams.

The Falcons, in the No. 27 spot, have a solid chance of drafting a high caliber player if history is any indication.

Don’t want to steal any of Pat Y’s thunder, so click here if you want to see his list and analysis.

One thing I will say is that Pat brings up the idea of the Falcons taking a wide receiver with the No. 27 pick if they like the value. I have to tell you, I’m starting to really get on board with that idea.

I know I’ve written about defensive ends to death since the offseason began, but wide receiver would be a very likely option in the first round if there’s one available the Falcons think would be worth taking at No. 27. I actually can see this being so much of an option that the Falcons could even trade back if there’s nothing they like at 27 and know they can get better value in the second.

If Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith is there, I can see him easily being the choice. If he’s not, I could see receivers like Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan, Boise State’s Titus Young, Miami’s Leonard Hankerson or Kentucky’s Randall Cobb being the pick if the Falcons trade away No. 27 and get into the early part of the second round.

I wrote before about how it generally takes three seasons before a wide receiver really starts to reach his potential, so I think Falcons fans have to be patient with whoever comes in, if the Falcons go that direction in the draft. But, as Yasinskas notes, head coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have been talking about a need to get more explosive, and taking a wide receiver who can take some pressure off Roddy White would certainly push the offense in that direction.

You know the drill. Vote below.

Now That We’re Closer To The Draft, What Are Your Thoughts On Taking A Wide Receiver Early?Market Research

We’re back with another edition of Mailbag Monday, where I take fan questions that were submitted through Formspring.me and provide them with answers that, in my mind, are informative and well-thought-out.

If you’re interested in having your question be a part of Mailbag Monday, check out my Formspring.me page and submit your question. You can do it completely anonymously and you don’t have to sign up for anything. Easy.

On to the mailbag:

Question: Are the Falcons thinking about getting rid of Michael Turner?

Answer: No. I don’t see that happening at all. Turner led the NFC in rushing in 2010 and was a Pro Bowler. Getting rid of him would be silly. I do, however, see a complimentary back added to the roster — someone who can catch passes out of the backfield and provide a solid checkdown option for Matt Ryan. Since Turner and Jason Snelling are both basically built from the same mold — hard-nosed, physical backs — I could see a speedster brought in, a change-of-pace back, if you will. But Turner will continue to be a vital part of the Falcons’ offense.

Q: Do you think the falcons will have it where anyone can come and tryout for the team?

A: Save your game tape. I don’t see that happening.

Q: Hey do you think that we need to take Sam Acho like Was Durham said on NFL Network?

A: I like Acho (pictured above) and I like Wes Durham, so I trust his assessment. I think Acho will be there when we pick in the second round, so whether we take him or not depends a lot of who we’re able to get in the first round. If there’s a top-flight defensive end available at the No. 27 spot, I think we pounce. If there’s not and we go a different direction, we could totally see Acho in red and black next year. I like the upside with Acho. He’s quick off the edge and he can be physical, and I love his off-field demeanor. He fits into the Mike Smith/Thomas Dimitroff mold when it comes to character. He could definitely be a quality pick.

Q: Fox reported that Brian Finneran may not return next season. Have you heard anything about that? Hope they’re wrong!

A: Yes, I reported a few weeks back that there had been reports that Brian Finneran and Brian Williams would not be re-signed by the Falcons. Finneran also backed up those reports on his SportsBuzz.com account. That post appears to have disappeared, so I can’t link it here. But, yes, it looks like the Brian Finneran era is over in Atlanta.

Q: Has TD, as two time exec of the year, considered telling the story of his process in a sports exec book? From the side of potential recruits being interviewed, to scouts, to (Les) Sneed, to pro days, to TD, etc. Should be a great read.

A: I’m not sure, but I definitely agree a book like that would be difficult to put down.

It started with mock drafts and now it’s moved to blog posts with facts to back it up: It seems the Falcons are looking for help at wide receiver.

More than one mock draft has the Falcons going with a wideout with the No. 27 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, but friend of the site and ESPN.com NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas reports the Falcons held a private workout with East Carolina wide receiver Dwayne Harris. The Falcons will also have “at least one representative to Cincinnati’s pro day to see receiver Vidal Hazelton,” Yasinskas wrote.

It doesn’t surprise me to see this kind of news as general manager Thomas Dimitroff, the scouts and the coaching staff do their due diligence on every position there is to look at.

If the guys at the top decide to take a wideout, I’ll caution fans to temper expectations for what that wide receiver will be able to accomplish in the first three years of his career.

It’s pretty common knowledge around the league that wideouts tend to take a while to develop. There are a few exceptions, of course, but those exceptions are few and far between. Perhaps the only wide receiver in this Draft that could contribute at a high level right away is Georgia’s A.J. Green.

Everyone else could need one, two or even three years to start producing on a consistent level. Even wide receivers like Detroit’s Calvin Johnson needed a year to find his stride. Houston’s Andre Johnson did, too.

Is it possible to hit the jackpot with a wideout who can unexpectedly become a pivotal part of the offense right away? Sure. But, judging by history, it doesn’t seem likely.

What’s your take? Let us know below.

Should the Falcons Draft a Wide Receiver with the No. 27 Pick?online survey