Falcons rookies Keanu Neal and linebacker DeVondre Campbell lined up with the first-team defense at OTAs on Tuesday.
Neal, the team’s first-round draft pick, is expected to land the starting strong safety position, but Campbell, a fourth-round pick from Minnesota, is in a highly competitive situation at weakside linebacker.
Campbell lined up at weakside linebacker with the first-team defense during 11-on-11 drills. He flowed well to the ball and also covered a running back down-the-field on a defense.
Also, rookie guard Wes Schweitzer and middle linebacker Deion Jones received additional snaps.
“With a number of guys, … let’s see what they have and how well they can learn,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday. “There were some busts for sure. That’s part of it. You have to go through some of that frustration of missing a call or missing where you were supposed to be.”
Also, some veterans received some extensive work.
“Other guys, although they are veterans and haven’t been a part of this system, (center Alex) Mack, (wide receiver Mohamed) Sanu and (linebacker Sean) Weatherspoon, those are some of the guys we wanted to get some extra turns in as well,” Quinn said. “Where are they at with their development in picking up the system? It was good to go through a lot out there today.”