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As the game slows down for the Falcons' Ra'Shede Hageman, his 'arrow is going up'

The 6-foot-6, 318-pound defensive tackle towers over many of his Falcons teammates as he hustles through individual drills during a training camp practice. A second-round draft pick in 2014, Hageman’s physical traits have tantalized fans and coaches, alike.

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It’s taken some time for the other aspects of his game to catch up to his raw athleticism, but Hageman says he’s motivated by some of the criticism he’s heard throughout his first couple of seasons in Atlanta. Entering his fourth year with the team, he looks like a man on a mission.

“I wasn’t really reaching my full potential, and I had just a lot of he-said-she-said about being a bust or whatever,” Hageman said of the criticism surrounding him.