FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons announced Wednesday they've agreed to terms with four members of their 2018 draft class: second-round pick Isaiah Oliver, fourth-round pick Ito Smith and sixth-round picks Russell Gage and Foyesade Oluokun.
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Oliver has a great combination of size, length and speed at the cornerback position. He was a big contributor at Colorado from the beginning of his career, and he finished his three seasons with the Rams with 82 tackles, 25 passes defensed and three interceptions. Oliver will bring both speed and size to the Falcons' secondary, and he is a great athlete who was considered by some experts to be a first-rounder.
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Smith was an incredibly productive running back in college. He is one of just 10 players in NCAA history to finish his career with at least 4,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards – he finished his four-year career at Southern Mississippi with 4,538 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and he caught 140 passes for 1,446 yards and seven touchdowns.
Gage was a core special teams player at LSU, and he is expected to play the same role for the Falcons. He finished his career at LSU with 19 special teams tackles and a fumble recovery in addition to gaining 579 yards and scoring five touchdowns on offense. Gage was a team captain for LSU in 2017, and he has good athleticism to cover on kickoffs and serve as a gunner on punts. He may also get the opportunity to earn a role returning kicks for the Falcons. In Oluokun, the Falcons have an intriguing defender with a lot of versatility. Oluokun is an exceptional athlete at the linebacker position, and he certainly has the speed the Falcons look for. In his career at Yale, Oluokun recorded 271 tackles, 18 pass defenses, 13.5 tackles for a loss, four interceptions and three sacks. At his pro day, Oluokun ran a blistering 4.48-second 40-yard dash, posted a 4.12 short shuttle and had a 37-inch vertical leap.
