Falcons sign second round draft pick to rookie deal 

The Falcons have signed their second round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Atlanta drafted Arnold Ebiketie with the No. 38 overall pick, trading away their 43 and 114 overall pick to the Giants to move into the spot.

Ebiketie's rookie deal is estimated to have a total value of $9.69 million, carrying a $1.76 million cap hit in 2022. This hit increases as his years in the league do. These estimations are according to OverTheCap.com.

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The Falcons came into the 2022 NFL Draft needing a real presence off the edge. After taking wide receiver Drake London with the No. 8 overall pick on the first night of the draft, it seemed like a no-brainer that Atlanta would go after a pass rusher very early in the second round on Friday evening. They did just that, ultimately trading up to grab the guy they wanted.

Ebiketie was the first of two edge rushers the Falcons drafted, as they would go on to pick up DeAngelo Malone that night, too.

Ebiketie officially joins an edge rusher position that's under near-complete turnover as Dante Fowler, Steven Means and Brandon Copeland are no longer in Atlanta. Since their departure, the Falcons drafted Ebiketie and Malone, but also picked up Lorenzo Carter in free agency. Those three join 2021 draft pick Ade Ogundeji as the main characters of the OLBs core on the current roster.

The expectation is that Ebiketie will play a primary role in his rookie year. Definitely rotationally, if not as a starter at some point during the season.