Falcons choose South Carolina OL Jovaughn Gwyn with pick 225 in 7th round

Atlanta adds a developmental prospect late.

With their final pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Falcons have added a player who figures to be a developmental center in the NFL. South Carolina guard Jovaughn Gwyn joins an offensive line that should, at the very least, feature plenty of competition in the months ahead.

Gwyn is a tenacious lineman who (unsurprisingly) comes to the NFL with a proven track record as a run blocker. Analysts like NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein believe his size means he’s likely ticketed as a center in the pros despite playing right guard in college, which makes given how much competition the Falcons have at guard versus their options at center, which are limited to Drew Dalman, converted guard Ryan Neuzil, and veteran Jonotthan Harrison.

If Gwyn can make that shift successfully and grow in 2023, he’ll likely be in the mix to be Dalman’s backup in 2024, though an impressive summer could obviously see him added to the competition at the pivot (or guard, if the team keeps him there, we’ll see) in July and August. For now, Gwyn figures to latch on to a practice squad spot this season given the crowded state of the roster and hopefully develop into a capable reserve in the near future, and the Falcons clearly like the chances of that if they’re spending one of their rare seventh round picks on him.

We’ll hope Gwyn can show out this summer and grab a roster spot, but either way, he should be a future factor as a reserve on this offensive line.