New atmosphere: Those who have been to training camp in the past will notice a different, louder environment at Flowery Branch. Practice will be high-paced, energetic and efficient; music will blare throughout the day in an effort to create less-than-ideal conditions — conditions similar to those borne during games. According to Dan Quinn’s Twitter account, fans should anticipate an eclectic mix of hip-hop, rock and top 40.
Coaching style: Quinn's hands-on approach to teaching has garnered a lot of attention over the last few months, and it should be palpable to those in attendance. The new Falcons head coach offers a lot of individual attention, which, based on recent comments, has resonated with the players.
"(Quinn and I) talk every day," cornerback Jalen Collins said. "He's very involved … You can't help but want to be just like your head coach."
Defensive back/wide receiver showdown: It's hard to beat one-on-one passing drills. At last week's State of the Franchise event, Desmond Trufant said games are easy because he goes up against Julio Jones every day in practice, and seeing those two face off against each other never gets old. It'll also be interesting to see how 2015 draft picks Collins and Justin Hardy fare during these exercises.
Rookies on display: In addition to Hardy and Collins, fans will get their first look at the rest of Atlanta's Rookie Club. Vic Beasley Jr. leads this group and will likely flash the first step quickness and closing speed he exhibited throughout rookie minicamp and OTAs. Fellow Clemson product Grady Jarrett is another first-year to watch, as is Tevin Coleman: a candidate for the starting running back job.
And we can't forget about the undrafted free agent signings. Keep an eye on nose tackle Joey Mbu, who made a strong first impression on D-line coach Bryan Cox. Mbu, projected by some to go as high as the fourth round, made first-team All-American Athletic Conference as a senior at University of Houston and had the longest arms (35 inches) among DLs who attended the Combine.
Shane Wynn could make noise as well. The diminutive receiver ran a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, which would have been the second-best mark at the Combine.
Position battles heating up: There are several intriguing position battles to monitor as we move closer to training camp. The free safety competition is hard to predict given that Charles Godfrey, Ricardo Allen and Kemal Ishmael all received first-team snaps during OTAs; RBs Coleman and Devonta Freeman will continue to push each other, as will those vying for playing time at left guard — namely Chris Chester and Mike Person.
