FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons selected defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus from Oregon with the No. 109 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Learn more about the Falcons' fourth-round pick:
Height: 6-3
Weight: 283
School: Oregon
2023 stats: 14 appearances, 13 starts | 25 tackles, 6.5 for loss, five sacks | Eight pass breakups
Honors: First-team All-Pac-12 in 2021 and 2023 | Second-team All-Pac-12 in 2022 | Led Oregon in tackles for loss (9.5) in 2022 and in sacks (five) in 2023
Tori McElhaney's analysis: After taking Roke Orhorhoro in the second round Thursday, the Falcons find themselves adding another force along the defensive interior. This time, Oregon's Brandon Dorlus.
Dorlus is ranked the eight-best defensive tackle in the 2024 draft class, according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler. For reference, Orhorhoro was the fourth best.
The Oregon product is coming off his best two-year stint since joining the Ducks in 2019 with 16 of his career 27 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks of his 12 total sacks coming in the last two seasons. What most evolved in Dorlus' game from 2022 to 2023, though, was his ability to get his hands on the ball at the line of scrimmage. With his length, he was able to deflect eight passes in 2023, improving from just two the year before.
Analysts consider Dorlus a "tweener" of sorts based on his size, but make no mistake about it, this absolutely means he is someone who can provide versatility across the entire line of scrimmage. This is something Oregon used to its advantage with Dorlus as he lined up on the edge, throughout the interior and over the tackles.
Dorlus was also a standout at the 2024 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, a place the Falcons have heavily emphasized as a hot bed for talent evaluations since the Terry Fontenot crew got to Atlanta.
Dorlus joins Orhorhoro with veterans Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata as the next generation of Falcons defensive tackles marrying together with the old guard, a combination the Falcons are hopeful continues to evolve in production as the Atlanta pass rush does.
