Nick Eason watched Ruke Orhorhoro grow first hand at Clemson, so hearing the Atlanta Falcons trade up to select him was no surprise.

The former Tiger was picked with the No. 35 overall pick, a selection after the Falcons moved up 10 spots to secure him. During an appearance on The Midday Show with Andy & Randy, the Clemson associate head coach was asked about any surprise with the selection.

“No, I was not,” Eason said. “Ruke possesses all the talent and the tools to be one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the NFL so it wasn’t a surprise to me after talking to the scouts, going with them through the evaluation process with him. I knew his stock had risen.”

In Eason’s opinion, he expected Orhorhoro to go in either the end of the first round or the early second round. Low and behold, that’s where he ended up and is now a Falcon. Eason spent two decades in the NFL as a player and coach, so that knowledge helped him get a read on Orhorhoro’s stock.

During his Clemson career, Orhorhoro had 88 total tackles, 25.5 for loss, 12 sacks and nine batted passes. He’s still raw, which increases his potential in the NFL even after a productive All-ACC career.  That also opens the door for opportunity with Orhorhoro as he could move around the front with fellow Tiger Grady Jarrett.

“I’ll tell you about Ruke, one thing he has is his toughness, his discipline. He’s competitive and he’s smart. You’re getting a guy that’s a class act off the field and he steps on the field and he becomes a beast,” Eason said. “Ruke brings a lot of versatility He’s long, he can play defensive end on first and second down, he can bump inside as a three technique. We used him as a zero technique rushing on third-down packages.”

It’ll be a very competitive and versatile front in Atlanta, and Eason has no doubt that Orhorhoro will be a big part of it for the future of the Falcons.