Qadree Ollison reacts to being drafted by Atlanta Falcons

Former Pitt running back Qadree Ollison was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. He wound up being the only Panther selected in the Draft.

As you might expect, he’s thrilled to be in the NFL and commented on the selection shortly afterward, via the Falcons’ team website.

“I’m excited to be a Falcon, man,” Ollison said. “Thankful to share this moment with my family. I’m just real excited to get to work.”

Ollison lands on what he considers to be a pretty good team. Not just a good one — one that he thinks could win it all.

“I get a chance to play for a Super Bowl contending team”, he continued. I get to play on a team with Hall of Famers, learn from some veterans. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, learn from Devonta Freeman and those guys.”

Ollison is correct in that the team definitely has some standout players on offense. And while you wouldn’t expect him to say it, whether they can contend for a Super Bowl or not is up in the air. Atlanta’s problem was on defense last year, where they ranked at nearly the bottom of the league (28th) in yards per game allowed and 25th in points per game (26.4). That resulted in a disappointing 7-9 year in which they missed the playoffs.

Still, with the Falcons’ firepower on offense, it’s easy to see why Ollison would be optimistic. And for the Panthers, they have yet another running back that will get a shot at playing on Sundays in the NFL.

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