Ta'Quon

Graham

Head coach Arthur Smith didn’t offer anything specific on Graham’s injury other than noting that he will be out for a few weeks. Now on injured reserve, Graham is required to miss at least the next four games, and won’t be eligible to return until Week 17 against the Cardinals. Graham has been a key contributor to the Falcons’ run defense this season, tallying 34 tackles and one TFL.

Graham is technically “questionable,” but he had to be carted off the field in the second quarter. He will not be returning, and it’s a big loss for the Falcons against the run-heavy Bears. Second-year fifth-rounder Graham has been one of Atlanta’s most important run stuffers this season.

A physical specimen, Graham (6’3/292) has extremely little unnecessary fat on his rocked up frame. He originally came to UT as an edge rusher but added functional weight and kicked inside as a three-tech, where he excelled as a run defender, posting PFF run grades of 87.1 in 2019 and 84.1 in 2020. Graham is a bit of a ‘tweener who could conceivably lineup outside the tackles if needed. He had an incredible Pro Day workout, posting 90th percentile times in the forty (4.89) and 3-cone (7.31) while tossing up 32 bench reps and a 9.68 RAS. Graham’s pass rush moves are limited to face up bullrushes with little advanced plan or nuance, which led to inferior production relative to his physical gifts and freaky length. He’s not as quick as you would expect from a player with his athletic package, and he lags when diagnosing plays. He comps out similarly to Charles Omenihu.