With training camp still a little ways off, it’s a good time to dig back into Falcons history and revisit one of the franchise’s ugliest draft swings. Aundray Bruce usually gets the first mention when Atlanta busts come up, and for good reason. The No. 1 overall pick in 1988 arrived with Lawrence Taylor-sized expectations and never came close to matching them, finishing his career without ever topping six sacks in a season and starting only 42 games.
Even so, Bruce still put together an 11-year NFL career. It wasn’t the kind of return the Falcons wanted from a top pick, but it was a real career. That’s what makes the next name so jarring.
A couple of years later, Atlanta used the third overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft on Nebraska cornerback Bruce Pickens, and that selection turned into something even worse than Bruce’s disappointment. Pickens’ problems started before he ever settled into the lineup.
He got tangled in a lawsuit with his own representation and even threatened to sue the Dirty Birds. He didn’t sign with the team until October of his rookie season, and once he finally got on the field, the situation barely improved.
Pickens made almost no impact in seven games as a rookie and finished his Atlanta run with only eight starts over three seasons. He intercepted just two passes, which didn’t come close to justifying the headaches that came with him.
The Falcons traded him to the Green Bay Packers in the middle of the 1993 season, but that didn’t lead to a fresh start. He lasted only two games in Green Bay before moving on to Kansas City.
He did not play in 1994, then spent 1995 with the Oakland Raiders, which ended up being the final season of his career. For a player taken in the top three, that’s as rough as it gets.
Atlanta was betting on Pickens developing alongside Deion Sanders, but he came into the league as a raw juco transfer and never got out of his own way. The talent never matched the draft slot, and the off-field chaos only made it uglier.
Bruce was a bust. Pickens was something worse.
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One Falcons Bubble Player Is Running Out Of Camp Chances
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Simon showed a few encouraging flashes during OTAs, but the margin for error gets thinner once the pads come on and the roster battles sharpen. He is in the mix with Jack Velling and others for one of the final tight end jobs behind Kyle Pitts, Austin Hooper and Charlie Woerner, and the next stretch of camp will go a long way toward deciding whether Simon can force his way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Bijan Robinson Just Put Falcons Fans On Extension Watch
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NFL Networks Mike Garafolo expects Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs to be in line for top-of-market running back deals, with the Lions possibly needing to move first after Gibbs expanded role following the David Montgomery trade. For Atlanta, the bigger question is not whether Robinson is part of the long-term plan, but how quickly the Falcons are ready to turn that plan into a contract before the next season opens. [Read more 🡒]