The Atlanta Falcons announced on Sunday that they have signed five draft picks to four-year contracts.
Among the players signed are: fourth-round pick OLB Prince Shembo, CB Ricardo Allen, LB Marquis Spruill, LB Yawin Smallwood and LB Tyler Starr.
Shembo is the most notable among this group as the Falcons used a fourth-round selection on him last week. Atlanta is widely expected to transition to more of a 3-4 defense next year and the addition of Shembo should give them some additional help at outside linebacker.
Over the course of his college career at Notre Dame, Shembo totaled 145 tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Allen doesn’t offer much size at 5 foot 9, but he was one of the best defensive players in the Big 10 for a few years. Last season, he totaled six interceptions, 53 tackles, with four tackles for loss, and 12 passes defensed.
Spruill was a fifth-round selection out of Syracuse and was a highly productive player in college. He totaled 243 tackles, a staggering 41 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed and a force fumble during his four years.
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