A bone-jarring hit that doesn’t seem like it could come from a 5’10, 205 pound cornerback. A sack of a hapless Mike Glennon, a run stop just out of the backfield, a materialization out of thin air to make an open field tackle. Hell, a quick change of direction to make a play on the ball he has no business getting to.
These are all hallmarks of Brian Poole, perhaps Atlanta’s single most underrated player, though likely not for much longer. Poole stepped in as the team’s primary nickel cornerback during their magical 2016 season, providing physicality, underrated blitzing skills and consistently quality coverage as an undrafted free agent.