Atlanta Falcons reach deal with no. 6 overall pick Jake Matthews

As the signings of some of the more prominent picks from this month’s NFL draft continue, the Atlanta Falcons are next up as they have come to terms with their first-round selection, Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews.

Despite all of the chatter that the team might want to trade up in the first round of the draft to select either Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack, the Falcons stayed at their no. 6 overall spot where they eventually drafted some protection for QB Matt Ryan in the form of Matthews.

The 6-5, 309-pound Matthews will be looked upon to secure the spot at left tackle for years to come, keeping Ryan off the ground as much as possible and allowing him to do the work with such talented receiving threats as Roddy White and Julio Jones.

As far as durability goes, Matthews played in 52 games while with the Aggies, starting 46 consecutive. He was a consensus All-American during the 2013 season and earned unanimous All-SEC honors as well.

He might not play the most prestigious position on the field, but given the weapons that the Falcons have on the offensive side of the ball, Matthews definitely has the chance to prove he’s the most valuable rookie of the bunch by keeping the grass stains off of Ryan.