By Will Vandervort / Photo Falcons.com.
Sporting a black suit with a red and white pinstripe shirt underneath, Vic Beasley was hoping his lifelong dream of playing for his hometown Atlanta Falcons was going to come true on Thursday when he joined 27 other prospects at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago for the 2015 NFL Draft.
But for a second, he wasn’t sure if his dream was going to come true.
“I thought I was going to go before the Falcons, to be honest,” Beasley told the media in a teleconference after his selection.
But it never happened. When Atlanta got on the clock with the eighth overall pick in the draft, it did not take very long to make the pick. The Falcons quickly snatched the former Clemson defensive end, making him the 25th first-round selection all-time from the ACC School.
Beasley was later joined by his teammate, linebacker Stephone Anthony, as the first two defensive players from Clemson to be chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft in the same year. The Saints selected the middle linebacker at No. 31.
They were only the third Clemson duo all-time, and the first since 1982, to be picked in the opening round of the draft.
But for the Falcons, it was all about getting the local boy back home and playing in the Dome. Ironically, Beasley’s first career sack at Clemson came in the Georgia Dome against Auburn in 2012. He got 32 more after that to set a new Clemson mark in that category.
With the selection of wide receiver Amari Cooper by the Oakland Raiders at No. 4 and former West Virginia wideout Kevin White at No. 7 by Chicago, Beasley was there for the taking by the Falcons at No. 8.
“In our situation there’s always a thought about moving up,” General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said in an Associated Press story. “We’ve been aggressive over the years in our approach here and (head coach) Dan (Quinn) was in line with that thought process. If there had been a run on pass rushers it might have precipitated us moving up. We were again fortunate he was there.”
It was what all parties involved truly wanted.
“It feels great. I’m so excited and I’m ready to play football again,” Beasley said. “There is no better place I could have chosen than the Atlanta Falcons.”
Beasley, a two-time consensus All-American, finished his Clemson career as the school’s all-time time record holder in sacks, while also recording 52.5 tackles for loss, despite starting only two seasons and playing three overall. He gives the Falcons the edge rusher they desire to help try and turn around a defense that ranked near the bottom in several defensive categories in 2014.
The Falcons had just 22 total sacks a year ago, only 10 more than Beasley’s 12 at Clemson. It was Beasley’s speed and ability to get off the line so quick that jumped out at Quinn when watching the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year on film.
“Usually for a rusher, when you can really get off the spot, that’s one of the things you really talk about,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Can a guy get off his spot? When we evaluated all the guys, that was the thing that really jumped out, his initial quickness. When you can beat a guy to the punch, that’s when you have your most success as a rusher and he can certainly do that.”
Beasley isn’t the only Clemson defensive end on the Falcon’s roster. Former Tiger Malliciah Goodman was a fourth-round pick of Atlanta in 2013. Like Beasley, who is from nearby Adairsville, Ga., Goodman is also a native of the Atlanta area.
Not knowing how it was all going to pan out, Beasley pretty much let it be known what he was hoping for when he walked the red carpet sporting his black and red suit. Now, he will be wearing those same colors on Sundays in the fall.
“Eventually, it all worked out,” Beasley said. “I fell to No. 8 and they called me and told me they were going to choose me, so I’m happy with where I am at.”