Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank admitted the results of his team's last eight drafts have been "mixed,” so he asked general manager Thomas Dimitroff and assistant general manager Scott Pioli to take a "brutally” candid reassessment of the personnel staff.
"I think we're in a good place,” Blank said.
The most noticeable changes for the Falcons were the parting of ways with player personnel director Lionel Vital, the hiring of pro personnel director Joel Collier, and the resurfacing of former general managers Phil Emery and Ruston Webster as national scouts. Some in the NFL community were surprised the Falcons let go of long-time scout Mark Olson, who has since been hired by the Detroit Lions.