The long and short of it Why Falcons put premium on length in reshaping front seven

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich put their heads together a few years ago when both were coaching with the Atlanta Falcons. They did an offseason study on which physical traits were most effective for NFL defenders.

The attribute that kept popping up? It wasn't speed or height or anything having to do with bench-press reps.

It was length. Or, more simply, how long a player's arms are -- his wingspan. That seems like a more advantageous characteristic for basketball. But it can be a gamechanger in football, too, especially on the defensive side of the ball, Morris said.

"We talked about the secondary and anywhere on defense, the people that had more length, they missed less tackles," said Morris, who coached with Ulrich, now the New York Jets' defensive coordinator, in Atlanta from 2015 to 2020.

With that information in hand, the Falcons reshaped their front seven in the 2024 NFL draft, putting a premium on length. After drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick, Atlanta drafted front-seven players with its next four picks and then added another defensive lineman with its final pick. Five of the team's eight picks in the draft were defensive linemen or linebackers.

And most of them had one thing in common: length.

The Falcons traded up to take Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and his 34-inch arm length in the second round with the No. 35 overall pick. The only defensive tackle drafted this year with a longer reach was Maason Smith (35 inches), who went to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 48th overall pick. Orhorhoro also had the best athleticism score (89) out of any other defensive tackle at the combine.

Morris even mentioned Orhorhoro's reach in the phone call when he informed Orhorhoro that the Falcons were drafting him, saying, "You got great length, man. We can't wait to see you."

By taking Brandon Dorlus (fourth round, No. 109 overall) out of Oregon and Zion Logue (sixth round, No. 197 overall) out of Georgia along with Orhorhoro, the Falcons acquired three out of the top eight defensive tackles in the draft in terms of arm length, at least among those who were measured at the combine. Logue has a 33 1/2-inch arm length and Dorlus checks in at 33 1/4. Ohorhoro and Dorlus are also versatile enough to play defensive end. Pass-rusher Bralen Trice of Washington, who had an FBS-best 12 games with five or more pressures since 2022, has an arm length of 32 1/2 inches. The other front-seven pickup was Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand (fifth round, No. 143 overall), who Morris joked doesn't have long arms but was picked anyway "because I liked him so much." Bertrand had the sixth-best athleticism score (73) among linebackers at the combine.

"We certainly put a high level of value on length and getting bigger and getting stronger, getting faster," Morris said.

Morris was hired as head coach in January after three years as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, who won Super Bowl LVI. He previously was the defensive coordinator and interim coach for the Falcons. One of the things he did that was successful with the Rams was utilizing a lot of players in the front seven in different formations. The four draftees will join a group that already boasts former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Grady Jarrett.

"I love to be able to put people in different spots and find different units that can go on and just cause disruption for different reasons," Morris said. "Whether it be rushing with power, whether it be rushing, like we talked about, with Dorlus on the edge, whether it be doing a bunch of different things. And that rotation up front in the National Football League, as we know, is continuous. That rotation up front is probably the most rotated position in football."

The Falcons' pick of Penix was the story of the draft, since Atlanta had already signed Kirk Cousins as a free agent a few weeks earlier to a four-year, $180 million contract, including $100 million guaranteed. But pass-rushing has been the team's biggest weakness for a long time. The Falcons have 18 fewer sacks than any other franchise in the league over the past three seasons. Atlanta's pass rush win rate was dead last in the league in 2023.

After the polarizing selection of Penix, Atlanta buckled in and committed to caulking its most glaring hole. That was something the Falcons knew they needed to get their arms around, so to speak, with the expectation of having their first winning season since 2017.

"It is no secret right now," Morris said. "A lot of people are looking for [length], so I don't feel too bad about telling you that. But certainly, it's something that we put high value on."