Atlanta has been held under 30 points in five straight games, including last w

BEREA http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/john-cominsky-jersey , Ohio (AP) — Greedy Williams has already shown the Browns his recovery skills.After accidentally missing Cleveland’s phone call telling him he was about to be drafted in the second round, the LSU cornerback got in touch with the front desk at the team’s headquarters and asked to speak with general manager John Dorsey.Then his emotions overwhelmed him.“Greedy was giddy,” quipped Browns coach Freddie Kitchens.Considered the SEC’s best cover cornerback, Williams was selected with the No. 46 in the NFL draft on Friday night when the Browns got in on a run of defensive backs. Fearing he might lose a player he wanted, Dorsey traded the No. 49 and No. 144 picks to Indianapolis and selected Williams, a second-team AP All-American last season.The Browns plan to pair Williams with Denzel Ward, last year’s No. 4 overall pick who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.“Oh my God, me and Denzel Ward are going to tear up the league,” Williams said. “You can go man on the outside all day, and we will lock down those receivers.”That’s not all the 21-year-old had to offer. In Cleveland, he’ll join fellow LSU alums Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and like the two star wide receivers, Williams doesn’t lack confidence.“I know one thing: the Browns are going to the Super Bowl this year,” Williams said on a conference call from Shreveport, Louisiana.He repeated the same prediction two more times.In the third round, the Browns chose Brigham Young linebacker Sione Takitaki Qadree Ollison Jersey , who had 118 tackles last season. The 6-foot-1, 238-pounder recorded 19 tackles in BYU’s bowl win over Western Michigan.“This s a physical, physical football player,” said assistant general manager Eliot Wolf. “He plays with violence and we felt like that was something that kind of separated him from other linebackers in this class.”Takitaki had some issues when he first arrived at BYU. He was briefly kicked out of school after being involved in a fight and an arrest, but the Browns are comfortable he’s matured — on and off the field.“He really changed his life around,” Wolf said. “This is a kid who came in immature. He’s from California and went to Utah. Probably wasn’t ready to be away from home. And the cool thing about this guy is he is a success story at BYU. You talk to anyone there, they kind of didn’t think he was going to make it after his first year or so, and he completely turned his life around, became a team captain this year. He was just that guy in the program.”Takitaki credits his wife, Alyssa, for changing him.“I got really lucky, I met a great girl,” he said. “She was always pushing me to be better. We just fit. She’s a great woman.”Williams, who earned his nickname as a child for drinking too much milk, said he was shocked to get the call from the Browns. And after he reconnected with them, it began to sink in that his life had changed.“I was just overwhelmed Brian Burns Jersey ,” he said. “When I got the phone all from the 216, I was just filled with a lot of emotion. I’m still replaying the phone call.”Dorsey feels Williams is perfectly suited to play one of the game’s most demanding — and unforgiving — positions.“In all the evaluations, he has played some of the top caliber receivers in the SEC,” Dorsey said. “If you really go watch him play the game, he is fluid. He is easy. He is a smooth moving corner and he does it effortlessly. Corners in the National Football League have to cover and this guy has all the skill sets to cover players.”New Browns coach Freddie Kitchens is confident Williams can handle the leap from college to pros.“You are going to watch these SEC receivers now start going off the board and he has covered every damn one of them. That is the type of athlete he has to cover when he gets into the National Football League,” he said. “It is not going to be too big for him, but he is not a finished product either. There is always an adjustment for any rookie.”Dorsey was unsuccessful in trading into Thursday’s first round because the asking price was too much. He didn’t have a pick after dealing the No. 17 selection to the New York Giants in March as part of the deal for Beckham.He was patient as the second round unfolded, but when it started to look like he might lose out on Williams, Dorsey acted swiftly.“Because of the way the game has changed, you realistically have to have five corners on your team,” he said. “This just gives you another extra guy who can cover.”The Browns enter Saturday’s final day with five picks — one in the fourth round, two in the fifth and one each in the sixth and seventh. Ricardo Allen remembers when the Falcons’ defense ranked among the worst in the NFL.

That’s not difficult. It was only one year ago when the Falcons ranked near the bottom of the league in total defense and dead last in red-zone stops.

Those memories made Allen smile on Wednesday, because defense has become a point of pride for the Falcons, who play at the Los Angeles Rams in a wild-card game on Saturday.

For the first time since Atlanta’s first Super Bowl season in 1998, the Falcons (10-6) finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense (19.7) and total defense.

Allen was especially proud to note the Falcons have climbed to No. 5 in the league in red-zone defense.

Unlike 2016, when the Falcons leaned heavily on the NFL’s top-scoring offense for their Super Bowl run http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/greg-little-jersey , Atlanta takes better balance into the postseason.

”Going from being one of the bottom defenses in the league last year … it’s big growth,” Allen said, adding the improvement has come ”much faster than I thought it would be.”

The Falcons have emphasized defense in recent drafts, and that commitment has produced results. Defensive starters added in the last three drafts include linebackers Vic Beasley Jr., Deion Jones and DeVondre Campbell and safety Keanu Neal.

Six defensive starters on last year’s defense were first- and second-year players.

Coach Dan Quinn said he has seen second-year players Jones, Campbell and Neal ”take a big step from year one to year two just as you hoped it would happen.”

Jones, Neal and Campbell are Atlanta’s top three leaders in tackles.

Quinn said he sees better communication on the field through ”hand signals, just sometimes an eye contact.”

Allen says there’s room for more improvement.

”Oh man, if we keep growing and we stay humble and we keep enjoying the process, the sky is the limit,” he said. ”I think we can be one of the best defenses in the league for sure.”

Quinn, the former Seattle defensive coordinator, enjoys seeing the young starters play lead roles. He also sees more improvement to come.

”I think this group can take another jump,” Quinn said. ”They’re athletic, they’re tackling well, the communication piece is there Will Grier Jersey , so I’m very hopeful for where that group can go.”

The defensive upswing has been important, because the Atlanta offense that led the league in scoring in 2016 has struggled at times this season . The Falcons’ scoring has dropped from 33.8 to 22.1 points per game.

Atlanta has been held under 30 points in five straight games, including last week’s 22-10 win over Carolina to clinch a playoff spot.

NOTES: Special teams coach Keith Armstrong will interview with the Cardinals next week as a candidate to replace coach Bruce Arians. ”To me it’s a sign of respect,” Armstrong said after Wednesday’s practice. ”I’ve been doing this 24 years now. That’s quite a long time in this league. It’s good to have someone recognize you for what you’ve done.” … Return specialist Andre Roberts (knee, ankle) did not practice. A long list of players were limited, including RB Devonta Freeman (knee), WR Julio Jones (ankle, ribs), DE Adrian Clayborn (calf), WR Taylor Gabriel (hamstring), C Alex Mack (calf) and TE Levine Toilolo (knee).

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