The Falcons had quite the offensive arsenal coming into the 2011 NFL Draft. Coming out of it, the Falcons will most assuredly reach the goal of becoming more explosive on that side of the ball.
General manager Thomas Dimitroff traded up in the fifth round from No. 158 overall to No. 145 to select Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers. The Falcons gave up a seventh round pick, No. 229 overall, to move up 13 slots to select Rodgers.
At 5-foot-6, 196 pounds, Rodgers is a speed complement to running back Michael Turner. Out of the backfield, Rodgers is a versatile back. He can get around tackle and he's great in open space catching passes.
"There's always going to be some teams that shy away from smaller running backs," Rodgers told The Sporting News. "They try to categorize you as a third-down back. That's when you have to go in there and prove that you're an every-down back."
During his career at Oregon State, Rodgers rushed 788 times for 3,877 yards and 46 touchdowns. As a pass-catcher, he caught for more than 1,000 yards and five touchdowns.
Rodgers was the No. 5 running back on NFL.com analyst Mike Mayock's running back draft board, behind Mark Ingram, Daniel Thomas, Mikel Leshoure and Ryan Williams.
Rodgers' brother, James, was a teammate of his at OSU as a wide receiver, and Jacquizz became a father on Sept. 4, 2010 with the birth of his baby daughter, Channing.
Off the field, Rodgers is a model citizen, doing anything he can to help his community. He even speaks in schools about the dangers of drugs in his hometown of Richmond, Texas.
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