When it was all said and done, Peter Konz was, indeed, the first center picked in the 2012 NFL Draft. However, his selection at 55th overall came as a bit of surprise.
Though he was selected later than projected, Konz still appears to have found a good home. Badgers’ head coach Bret Bielema mentioned in a tweet shortly after the news broke that he had received a phone call from the Falcons’ front office earlier in the day inquiring about Konz. Bielema tweeted that he “felt like they [Atlanta] wanted him pretty bad.”
Konz is the first Big 10 player drafted by Falcons’ General Manager Thomas Dimitroff in his five years with Atlanta.
Though Konz is expected to immediately compete for a starting position, it is not clear where he fits in the puzzle at this point.
“There’s no question about it, this is what our goal was,” Dimitroff said in reference to the chances of Konz competing for a spot.
Dimitroff also mentioned that he foresees his team taking advantage of the versatility that he sees in Konz.
Falcons’ digital content manager Jay Adams tweeted that, “Konz is projecting at guard for the Falcons. Thinking he’ll be a day 1 starter at RG.”
Regardless of which position he ends up playing, it was clear that the second –team All-American was thrilled to be selected.
“Being an NFL football player now, getting the opportunity is amazing,” Konz said in a teleconference with Atlanta media. “It doesn’t matter where I fell to because I love the team that picked me. I have nothing but great respect for the organization. Now I get to help be part of a winning tradition.”
He also expressed a willingness to do whatever his new team asked of him
“At Wisconsin they made sure I knew tackle, guard and center,” Konz said. “Any way I can help the team, that’s my responsibility.”
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