The Fantasy Points staff recently welcomed NFL Films legend Greg Cosell and NFL Insider Adam Caplan to talk about the NFC South as part of our Virtual Town Hall Series. I highly encourage you to check out the entire conversation by accessing our Livestream archives.
Greg and Adam joined John Hansen and company to break down the NFC South from front to back to help us get a deeper understanding of every roster heading into the summer. John has been holding these closed-door meetings with Greg and Adam for the last 15+ years. The Fantasy Points staff is proud to let the public peek behind the curtain during these exclusive Livestreams! Here are the notes we compiled from the NFC South meeting.
Atlanta Falcons
GC: Tyler Allgeier has the look and feel of a volume runner, and he will likely be given that opportunity. HC Arthur Smith is looking for a sustaining runner like Allgeier, and his game reminded Greg of Jordan Howard and Alexander Mattison coming out of college.
AC: The Falcons — and specifically Mike Davis — couldn’t sustain a lead with their running game last season, and they’re hoping Allgeier could be that guy. He’s an old-school pounder between the tackles.
AC: Marcus Mariota has a long history of injuries and mechanical issues. The Falcons are looking at Desmond Ridder like they used second-round draft capital on him. Ridder also has mechanical issues, which contribute to his accuracy issues. Adam isn’t ruling anything out with this quarterback competition, and he wouldn’t be shocked if Ridder wins the job out of training camp. The problem is they have some of the worst receiving depth in the league.
GC: Drake London will lineup all over the offense. He has phenomenal body control as a contested-catch receiver, and he plays above the rim in jump-ball situations. Kyle Pitts is the more explosive receiver between the two receivers. Pitts is going to line up at X receiver quite a bit with London playing the big slot. Greg didn’t agree with the Mike Evans and Mike Williams comparisons he heard for London in the pre-Draft process. He believes London projects more like Marques Colston to the NFL, who played a lot of big slot for the Saints.
Carolina Panthers
AC: Matt Corral fell because he had some issues, which have been well documented. The Panthers were very high on him and they were only going to take Corral. They would’ve pursued one of the veteran QBs thissummer if they missed on Corral but they got him in the third round.
AC: D’Onta Foreman should be the #2 RB and Chuba Hubbard is more of a change-up player. Foreman played well behind Derrick Henry last season. The Panthers' offensive line will be improved after adding three new starters this off-season.
GC: The Panthers will give Ikem Ekwonu a chance to play left tackle but he believes guard could be his best spot. Icky has some clear inefficiencies in pass protection, which is why he could be better at guard because he’s a “lunatic in a good way” as a run blocker. Greg agrees that this offensive line should be much improved from last season.
AC: Terrace Marshall had a foot issue when he got drafted and they got it under control. They brought in Garrett Wilson for a pre-Draft visit, which was a bit of a shocker, but it shows this receiving corps could look different next off-season when they can get out of Robby Anderson’s contract.
New Orleans Saints
GC: The Saints could have a big dropoff going from Terron Armstead last season to Trevor Penning this season. Penning’s measurables were off the charts but he didn’t play to them at a lower level. He’s super athletic but he needs a lot of work.
GC: Chris Olave isn’t an alpha dog but he landed in a good spot playing with Michael Thomas. Olave will fit exactly what the Saints want from him as a smooth, explosive receiver. Thomas is the volume receiver, and Jameis Winston throws a great deep ball, which Olave will benefit from.
AC: Adam wonders if the Saints are going to be more of a 12-personnel or an 11-personnel team? New Orleans had one of the weakest receiving corps last season, but they suddenly have some options for a third WR with Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith.
AC: Everything that law enforcement has on Alvin Kamara is in not good. Mark Ingram is the backup for now but they’re kicking the tires on Sony Michel and they added Abram Smith as a UDFA.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
GC: Rachaad White was the second-best receiving back behind James Cook in this year’s class. He’s a big guy so they can run with him as well so teams can’t just sell out to defend the pass when he’s on the field. He also liked fourth-round pick Cade Otton, and he thinks he could be a three-level tight end.
GC: Russell Gage is a Julian Edelman type of receiver in terms of running routes and knowing how to get open. Like Edelman, he’s more of an inside receiver but they’re going to mix and match him with Chris Godwin.
AC: It was a clean ACL tear for Godwin. The Buccaneers signed Godwin to an extension so they must feel pretty good about his recovery.
