Neal Impressing Coaches: Keanu Neal's first couple of months in Atlanta have gone about as smooth as possible. The No. 17 overall pick looked like he belonged throughout Falcons Minicamp Built by The Home Depot, during which he flashed his natural athleticism and coverage ability.
"What we can see is the mental quickness and the speed he plays with," head coach Dan Quinn said. "I think the first few days, like you'd expect maybe (there was) a hesitation. Now, it's the elimination of the doubt of the assignment, how quickly he can close. It's the speed and burst that he plays with—it was probably a little stronger than I thought."
Quinn Addresses Beasley's New Role: Much has been made about Vic Beasley, Jr.'s move to strongside linebacker, but as Quinn explained during the past two days, moving the second-year player to a different spot on the field hasn't forced him to make any substantial adjustments. Beasley was drafted to be a pass-rusher, and that's exactly what he'll continue to focus on with Atlanta.
"I think it's pretty natural, because it's so similar to the role he played last year," Quinn said about the position change. "It wasn't so far out of his comfort zone; it wasn't real foreign to him. He's picked it up. He's one of our best athletes on the team, so that part—it added value to the position."
Cutting Down on Mistakes: Now that Quinn and Kyle Shanahan's systems have been in place for more than a year, coaches were able to spend OTAs and minicamp focusing more on the specifics and less on making sure players understood the scheme.
Among those who are more confident in the scheme is Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman.
"I definitely feel a lot more comfortable," Freeman said. "It's been like night and day from last year to this year in this offense. I know it very well. I'm still learning a few things, like how to get better and stuff like that, but it's definitely gotten easier."
