Stephen Nicholas

If Nicholas can stay healthy the whole year, he should break out in 2013. He was well on his way last year before an ankle injury kept him on the bench in Week 6, and other bumps and bruises limited his snap counts in other games. But Nicholas finished the year with 95 stops in just 877 snaps, adding two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The Falcons run a disproportionate number of nickel formations and don't trust fellow linebacker Akeem Dent in passing situations, leaving Nicholas and Sean Weatherspoon with a monopoly on most of the snaps and many of the tackle opportunities.