Once a first-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former Iowa All-American Adrian Clayborn has agreed to terms with the Atlanta Falcons.

Clayborn, 26, tweeted, “Excited for my new and fresh start with the Atlanta Falcons! Can’t wait to get started! #RiseUp” Thursday afternoon and was mentioned in a team post on the same day.

After being oft injured his first four seasons it seemed that the Buccaneers were probably done with Clayborn, as he was no longer under his four-year rookie deal with the team.

A productive rookie season in which he started 16 games and racked up 7.5 sacks was a promising start to his career, but an ACL injury cut his second season short after just three games.

He bounced back the next year, as he complied 64 tackles and 5.5 sacks in addition to two forced fumbles. He seemed on his way to becoming a franchise centerpiece, but then tore his biceps in last seasons opener, missing the entire season.

Atlanta is not a stranger to Iowa defensive linemen, as former Hawkeye standout Jonathan Babineaux has played for the Falcons for the last ten seasons.

Clayborn played for Iowa from his redshirt freshman year in 2006 to the 2009-10 season. He was named the Orange Bowl MVP his junior year as Iowa knocked off Georgia Tech 24-14 and ended the season ranked No. 7 in both the AP and coaches polls.

-Jordan Hansen