Jack Strand grabbed plenty of attention in the Atlanta Falcons’ 34-6 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, but he wasn’t the only undrafted rookie helping himself. Another UDFA made his case even louder in the same game: receiver Vinny Anthony II.
Anthony tied fellow undrafted rookie Cash Jones for the team lead with four catches, and his 43 receiving yards ranked second on the Falcons behind Jones. In a game where extra preseason snaps opened the door for players fighting for depth roles, Anthony used his chances better than the rest of the receivers in the WR6 mix.
That performance fits a larger trend. Anthony, 23, has been building momentum all summer, and the late push is starting to look real as the Falcons narrow down the receiver competition.
Atlantafalcons.com’s Will McFadden even singled him out on social media, writing, "Vinny Anthony II has put together a nice stretch of practices recently," McFadden tweeted. "There is a competition to build out the depth in the Falcons' WR room, and he's firmly in the mix.
Also has great return ability, which helps his case.
That return ability has mattered all along. Anthony brought back three kicks for 90 yards in his NFL debut and has stayed in the mix as a return man throughout camp. He’s making his case on offense and on special teams, and that combination is hard to ignore for a player trying to win a roster spot.
Anthony’s summer production has already stood out enough to put him near the top of the Falcons’ training camp reception leaderboard, an unusual place for an undrafted wideout to be. For a player who has been productive from the start of camp and then backed it up against Indianapolis, the late push has plenty of momentum.
With Chris Blair appearing to be the favorite for WR5, Anthony now looks like a strong contender for WR6. He’s done the things the Falcons want from an undrafted receiver, and Saturday only strengthened that case.
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