It feels like forever since the Atlanta Falcons last had a productive edge rusher. When the team hired head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot back in 2021, the top edge rushers on the team were Dante Fowler and Steven Means.
After two drafts under Smith and Fontenot, it looks like the Falcons have found a good one in rookie Arnold Ebiketie. Drafted in the second round out of Penn State, Ebiketie has been a welcome addition to the defense.
After 12 weeks, he is second in pass rush win rate among all rookies. Ebiketie’s 12.6 percent average only trails Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Rookie pass rush win rate leaders:
Kayvon Thibodeaux 14.5%
Arnold Ebiketie 12.6%
George Karlaftis 12.5%
Aidan Hutchinson 11.1%
Travon Walker 9.2% pic.twitter.com/MIi4epn9c2— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) November 28, 2022
Ebiketie’s three sacks are also tied for second with Jacksonville’s Travon Walker. Lions rookie Aidan Hutchinson leads the 2022 draft class with six sacks.
But while Ebiketie’s win rate is impressive, the rookie still has considerable work to do if he wants to become an impact player in the NFL. When looking at the entire league and not just the rookie class, Ebiketie is rated 42nd among players with at least 300 snaps this season in win rate.
One thing the rookie linebacker must work on is wrapping up when tackling. Ebiketie has a missed tackle percentage of 20, which is third highest among rookie edge rushers who have played at least 200 snaps in 2022. Improving in this area would likely lead to higher sack numbers.
Nonetheless, Ebiketie is a good potential building block who’s already shown enough to be apart of the team’s long-term future. Below are a couple of examples where Ebiketie uses his athletic ability to break free from the opposing offensive line and disrupt the play.
Look at the spin move here from Arnold Ebiketie (47). EXPLOSIVE off the edge. pic.twitter.com/P9bcv83OAV
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) November 27, 2022
Arnold Ebiketie is going to be stupid good. The box score stats will match the tape eventually.
He's third among all rookies in pressures (14) and closing fast despite having 30-50 fewer snaps than number one and number two on the list (Karlaftis with 17 and Hutchinson with 15). pic.twitter.com/t5RihTjOZf
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 17, 2022
Arnold Ebiketie picks up his first career sack
pic.twitter.com/ZU0WPwNsJn— Alex Rocco (@AlexRocco13_) September 11, 2022
Ebiketie still has a long way to go before he’s an elite pass rusher, but the rookie is among the most promising players in the 2022 draft class. His continued progression will go a long way in turning this defense around.
