Falcons go for defense on last day of draft

FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Atlanta Falcons selected six players in the 2012 NFL Draft, including Wisconsin guard Peter Konz (55th overall), Southern Mississippi tackle Lamar Holmes (91st overall), Wisconsin fullback Bradie Ewing (157th overall), Troy defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi (164th overall), Mississippi State safety Charles Mitchell (192nd overall) and South Carolina defensive tackle Travian Robertson (249th overall).

Atlanta made its first selection on day two of the Draft, taking Konz in the second round with the 55th overall pick. The Falcons then traded the 84th overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for the 91st and 164th (fifth round) overall selections before using the 91st overall choice on Holmes in the third round.

Konz, 6-5, 317 pounds, started 31 career games at center for the Badgers. In 2011, he was named a Rimington Trophy finalist, a first-team All-American by AFCA and Pro Football Weekly as well as a second-team All-American according to Yahoo! Sports and SI.com, and third-team All-American by Phil Steele in 2011. He also added first-team All-Big Ten Conference accolades from the media and was an honorable mention pick by the league's coaches. In addition to his success on the football field, Konz leaves the university as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection.

Holmes, 6-6, 333 pounds, played two seasons at Southern Miss after transferring from Itawamba Community College following the 2009 campaign. He was named a team captain by his teammates after transferring from junior college because of his work ethic. As a senior, he earned first team All-Conference USA honors after paving the way for the Golden Eagles to post more than 6,000 yards of total offense for the first time in school history. Holmes protected QB Austin Davis' blind side, helping the quarterback throw for 3,496 yards with 30 touchdowns, and blocked for a rushing attack that averaged 205.1 yards per game.

The Falcons selected four players on the final day of the 2012 NFL Draft, including Ewing, Massaquoi, Mitchell and Robertson.

Ewing, 5-11, 243 pounds, began his career at Wisconsin as a walk-on running back and ended it as a team captain and first team All-American. He started 10 of 52 games at Wisconsin, rushing for two touchdowns and adding two more receiving scores. According to NFL Draft Report, his 30 touchdown-resulting blocks in 2011 are the most ever by a blocker in a season and were more than 99 teams at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.

In 2011, Ewing was named a first team All-American and chosen to the Super Sleeper Team by The NFL Draft Report at fullback. He cleared running lanes for All-American RB Montee Ball, who rushed for an NCAA-best 1,923 yards and tied RB Barry Sanders collegiate record with 39 rushing touchdowns. He also delivered a team-best 100 knockdowns/key blocks, including a Badgers-best 21 down-field blocks.

As a junior in 2010, Ewing won the Tom Wiesner Award, given to the team's best Wisconsin-born player, while adding Academic All-Big Ten Conference and ESPN Academic All-District honors. He produced 18 touchdown-resulting blocks and helped the Badgers rank 21st in the nation in total offense (445.2 yards per game), paving the way for Wisconsin's trio of 1,000-yard rushers, RB James White (1,086), RB John Clay (1,028) and Ball (1,019).

Ewing spent his first two seasons in Madison as a walk-on. During his freshman campaign, he saw action on the kickoff coverage and kick return units before shifting to fullback as a sophomore. In 2009, he earned his first Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection after helping the Badgers finish 15th in the nation and first in the Big 10 in rushing with 203.9 yards per game.

Massaquoi, 6-2, 264 pounds, started all 25 games he played in at Troy, recording 128 tackles (78 solos) with 19.5 sacks for minus 138 yards, 31.0 stops for loss, 12 quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three pass deflections and one blocked kick. His 19.5 sacks rank 12th in school history and his 31 tackles for loss rank third in team annals.

Last season, Massaquoi was named to preseason watch lists for the Lombardi Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Chuck Bednarik Trophy, and the Ted Hendricks Award as well as for the Pony Express Award. He earned All-Sun Belt Conference first-team honors after finishing the season with 52 tackles (29 solo) and leading the Trojans with six sacks.

In 2010, he was named All-Sun Belt Conference first-team by the league's coaches after notching 76 tackles (49 solo) and ranking ninth in the nation with 13.5 sacks. His 20.5 stops for loss tied DE Osi Umenyiora (2002) for the second most in school history. Prior to arriving at Troy, Massaquoi played two seasons at Butler County (Kan.) Community College, leading the team to the NJCAA Championship. He attended Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.) High School where he was rated one of the state's top 60 juniors by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mitchell, 5-11, 205 pounds, was one of the Bulldogs most consistent defenders as he played in 50 games and recorded 283 total tackles with four interceptions during his career. A team captain, he ranked second on the team with 95 tackles (50 solo) while notching three tackles for loss, one sack, six passes defensed and one forced fumble as a senior.

He became the leader of the Bulldog secondary in 2010, posting 93 total tackles, including double digit tackles in three games. As a sophomore in 2009, Mitchell started all 12 games and posted 65 tackles with four interceptions. The Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Mississippi played in all 12 games during his true freshman season for the Bulldogs and was selected to the Freshman All-SEC team by the league's coaches after notching 31 tackles and one pass defensed.

Robertson, 6-4, 304 pounds, was a team leader and experienced player for the Gamecocks. He was named a preseason second-team All-SEC selection by Phil Steele as a key interior cog in South Carolina's defense. The three-year letter winner played in 12 games as a senior in 2011, recording 45 tackles (22 solo), two sacks and eight tackles for loss.

In 2010, he helped anchor one of the best defensive fronts in the SEC, earning fourth-team All-SEC accolades from Phil Steele after starting all 14 contests, and posting 42 tackles, with 10 for loss and four sacks. Robertson played in every game in his first two seasons at South Carolina, totaling 24 tackles with two tackles for loss. He graduated from Scotland County High School in Laurinburg, N.C. where he was named his squad's Defensive End of the Year after recording 74 tackles with 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles as a senior. He also earned all-conference, all-region and team Defensive MVP honors.