Atlanta continued to add to its 2016 Rookie Club on Saturday by drafting offensive guard Wes Schweitzer in the sixth round, No. 195 overall. Here's what you need to know about the newest Falcon:
Schweitzer was a star wrestler in high school and made it to the 2010 Arizona state wrestling championships. Success on the gridiron, however, didn't come easily for him. As a junior at Chaparral High (Scottsdale, Ariz.), he was a 189-pound tight end who didn't get much playing time. He was receiving minimal interest from colleges, so he started working with a strength coach and gained a whopping 80 pounds before his senior season.
After adding bulk, Schweitzer transitioned to offensive line, where he emerged as a starter. Multiple outlets listed him as a first team all-city and all-region player. Even though his added weight helped him see the field, colleges weren't showing him much interested as graduation approached. So he decided to apply for the Marines. He never enlisted, though, because when he went in for his physical, Schweitzer got an offer to play for New Mexico. San Jose State offered him shortly thereafter.
While at SJSU, Schweitzer played for Keith Carter, who's now the Falcons' assistant offensive line coach. He started 38 straight games for the Spartans and was a team captain in 2015.
Schweitzer told the Falcons media that SJSU employs a zone blocking scheme similar to Atlanta's, which should help the sixth-rounder adjust to his new team.
Schweitzer majored in biochemistry at SJSU. He hopes to get his PhD in chemistry and eventually go into research. Not surprisingly, he scored an impressive 31 on the Wonderlic test.
This is the second consecutive year the Falcons have drafted a player out of San Jose State. Last spring, Atlanta selected cornerback Akeem King in the seventh round.
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