With their third pick in the draft (90th) overall, the Falcons selected San Jose State cornerback Chris Owens.
Owens, 5-foot-10, 195 lbs., ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds at the Scouting Combine. That mix of size and speed — and solid ball skills — was attractive to the Falcons.
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team was targeting cornerback in the third round from the begining of the draft and got the man they wanted in Owens.
He, too, will add “speed and urgency” to the defense.
He started 37 straight games to close out his career, allowing just one touchdown in that span. His 13 career interceptions rank fourth in school history.
He didn’t get many chances at San Jose State last season because teams opted not to throw his direction.
“The first four or five games, no passes came my way,” Owens said. “You can watch the tape of the San Diego State game and not one pass came my way the whole entire game.”
“Chris adds a lot of speed to our defense,” added Dimitroff. “He flies around with a lot of urgency. This guy is productive. He’s productive in the run game and the pass game.
“Speed right now is our desire… That means being around the ball all the time. In our mind, when you’re fast you’re going to be around the football as long as you have the desire to do so.”
MORE ON CHRIS OWENS:
- DRAFTGUYS: Thoughts and highlights on Chris Owens
- PHOTOS: Images of new Falcons cornerback Chris Owens
- AJC: Falcons select cornerback in third round
- FORUMS: Talk about the selection with other fans
- DIMITROFF: GM’s thoughts on the team’s newest defensive back
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28 Comments
There was too much talent left on the board for this pick. He is too small for large receivers and can’t play the run. A 5th rnd pick at best. A complete waste of a pick.
What scouting department do you work for? Oh…
i wouldnt really say that. because unless u havent noticed all of our corners are less than 6 feet. so i dont think it was a waste of a pick. i would like to know a lil more about him though
This is a very solid pick!
Coach Smith knows all about defense and he and TD would not waste a 3rd round pick on a player they don’t feel good about!
@Derek Collins
lmao great question
@Holo
who would u have selected. please dont tell me u were one of the members of the trade up for asher allen fan club
@junior12785
Doesn’t matter, whinging and moaning won’t change it. No, trading up for A. Allen would not have been a good move in my book. Owens is a good pick for nickel/ dime slot cb, just not a steal in the 3rd round. Getting Sidbury takes the sting out of not getting M. Johnson plus he might be better overall in his run defense.
oh ok i feel u. i been sittin here laughin since yesterday. the people on this site were goin mad crazy over the USC trio, michael johnson, and asher allen
pwned
I won’t say M. Johnson wasn’t on my wish list because he was. His stats compare very favorably with and exceed in some cases those of T. Jackson, Orakpo, etc. I don’t care where our players come from as long as they kick a$$ when they get here.
Mike Smith knows what to look for he’s a defense first I like that, keep it up
lol, we not loking at puting him out there on a island by his self SS or FS will be there Mike know how to put people in spots where they need to be, you have to look at it like this everybody is gone that you know so he realy don’t get that department of players we are going to be good that all I know now! @Holo
ok im gonna lay off holo a bit. i feel what u sayin my dude. we all got our own opinion
he was rated by many as the 93 best player in the draft. Thats exactly around where we took him.
good looking prospect
TRUST THE MAD RUSSIAN !!!!
(I don’t know if Dimitroff is a Russian name or not, but
it’s a cool saying, keep it going.
he is a little small, but i trust that TD and Smith know what they’re doing.
yeah hes small but so is brent grimes and id be fine with another corner like him…its called the napoleon complex…the smaller the meaner
i like this pick, he only allowed one td one him, but i think it’s funny that the backer we got in the sixth round is faster than he is
Thank GOD the Falcons stayed far-away from the GA”S and the GT”S for the most part
let me guess chucktown you like teams lie usc that playes nobody and still looses to teams like osu.
Looks like he will work well with the pass rush that we should be getting. If he can read and jump routes like that I could see him getting 4 or 5 picks a year.
Well, Dmitroff has said that he doesn’t pay attention to other’s draft boards and such. That’s never been more evident than with this pick. There were at least 10 corners rated higher that were still available for including his teammate.
and also…it’s not so much that I mind this pick, I just have to believe that this player would have lasted at least until the 5th round.
No I like him, I think he will do just fine. He is a little small but I think that he is quick and fast to recovery for his mistakes.
I agree with marcelino00 He is small and yes he does make a great recovery but wasnt it said that brent grimes was too small? Didnt he limit a bunch of tall receivers before his injury? He’ll be good in a nickel and zone defense.
first off good draft stop hating onn these players what are you expecting pro bowl players out of the 3rd and 4th round how rare is that dude william moore was projected top ten last year as a junior but went back as a senior pulled his hamstring and still had 4 int returned to the house and 11 total thats beast numbers and we got him in the second round everyone else are back up players competting for a spot i think we drafted very well very well TD good JOB