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The Atlanta Falcons drafted Florida State RB Devonta Freeman with the 103rd pick, in round three. He is the fifth Seminole to be picked in the 2014 NFL draft.
Out of Miami (Fla.) Central, Freeman was a four-star recruit and carried the Rockets to the state title over Orlando Dr. Phillips in 2010 before joining the Seminoles. At FSU, Freeman battled personal tragedy when his "brother" was murdered. He was a coaching staff favorite, and never publicly got in trouble.
Freeman is short, thick, a very willing pass blocker, and a runner who has very good instincts. He is OK as a pass catcher, has some wiggle in the open field, and lacks top-end speed. Freeman is not a feature back, but in the NFL that rotates multiple runners, he profiles as a solid pro.
Here are his accolades via his FSU bio.
All-ACC First Team
Coaches All-ACC First Team2013: Headlined Florida State's three-headed running back attack and started all 14 games...Durable back who never missed a game in three years and led by example...quick and powerful back capable of grinding out yards at the line or bouncing outside...First-Team All-ACC performer is tied for second in the conference with 15 total touchdowns...became FSU's first 1,000-yard rusher since Warrick Dunn in 1996 finishing the season with 1,016 rushing...Tied for third in school history with 30 career rushing touchdowns...ranked tied for 8th in FSU history with 2,255 career rushing yards...finished fourth in the ACC in rushing...had scored a touchdown in ten consecutive games...three 100-yard rushing games in 2013, including back-to-back performances against Nevada (9-109) and Bethune-Cookman (10-112)...had 73 rushing yards and a touchdown in the VIZIO BCS National Championship game...the Miami native led the Noles in rushing and receiving and totaled 176 yards (98 receiving and 78 rushing) of total offense and three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving) against Miami...set or tied career highs in rushes (23), receptions (six), longest catch (48), receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and rushing touchdowns versus the Hurricanes...had a career-long rush of 60 yards against Nevada and matched that rush versus Idaho...tallied 21 rushes for 84 yards against then-No. 3 Clemson in "Death Valley"...ran for two first-half touchdowns and had 92 yards on 12 carries against NC State...had 129 yards on 11 carries versus Idaho...selected All-ACC First Team by coaches and media.