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The Falcons announced the signing of fourth-round draft pick Lawrence Sidbury on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but that’s not as important as the team’s movement to get picks signed well before the start of Russell Falcons Training Camp.

With 15 days before the first practice (15 days, 22 hours, 36 minutes and 13… 12… 11 seconds to be exact) the Falcons have all but two draft picks signed.

First-round pick Peria Jerry and second-round choice William Moore remain unsigned, but their contracts could be more dependent on slotting, or falling in line with deals near their selection number.

Sidbury, 6′3″, 265 lbs., started in 31 of 52 career games at the University of Richmond, recording 145 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 38 tackles for loss. His 20.5 sacks rank fourth in school history and his 11.5 quarterback takedowns in 2008 rank third on the school’s single-season records list.

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The Falcons selected Richmond defensive end Lawrence Sidbury Jr. in the fourth round of the NFL Draft Sunday, picking up a player that can be an immediate threat as a pass rusher.

Director of Player Personnel Les Snead said Sidbury had the fastest “10″ time at the Combine (the time it takes to run 10 yards in the 40-yard dash). That’s a sign of explosiveness and an ability to attack quarterbacks and running backs near the line of scrimmage.

He was also the leader among defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.64 seconds.

Sidbury, 6-foot-2, 266 lbs., also led Richmond to a national championship in 2008. He finished with 11.5 sacks.

It was while watching highlights of that game on a road trip that some Falcons coaches took a closer look.

“What we’re banking on is trying to get a young player who is from a smaller level competition to pass rush off the edge,” Snead said.

“If you think about it not many people, especially defensive linemen will run a 40-yard dash. They have to be really fast within that 10 yards. They’re 10 yards from the QB; they’re 10 yards from the hashes when they’re running running backs down.”

MORE ON LAWRENCE SIDBURY:

• DRAFTGUYS: Analysis of Sidbury at the Senior Bowl
• AJC: Falcons take Richmond standout in fourth round
• HIGHLIGHTS: Sidbury’s national championship game
• YOUTUBE: Sidbury working in the weight room
• NEWS: Falcons select UR’s Sidbury (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• PHOTOS: Images of the Falcons newest defensive end
• FORUMS: Talk about the selection with other fans
• SNEAD: Director of Player Personnel discusses Sidbury selection
• NEWS: It’s all adding up for Sidbury (The Washington Post)

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