FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- All the cameras set up on the sideline at Atlanta Falcons training camp seemed to shift focus daily whenever the one-on-one battles between the offensive and defensive linemen started up.

Whether it was center Alex Mack mixing it up against nose tackle Grady Jarrett or rookie defensive end Takkarist McKinley giving an extra shove to left tackle Jake Matthews, those confrontations symbolized the type of competition Falcons coach Dan Quinn expects from his players on a daily basis.

They also gave Quinn and the coaches a better idea of which linemen came ready to make an impact in 2017.

"I guess there are a couple of guys that have really stood out," Quinn said. "I’ll start on the offensive side. I thought Alex Mack (had) a great camp. He looks as quick and as strong as ever. He’s been somebody that has really jumped out to me. I thought (tackles) Ryan Schraeder and Jake Matthews have had really good camps. With Jake, in this last (exhibition) game, he only played 10 or 12 plays, but he looked quicker and stronger than he has maybe at any time. I was encouraged by that.

Falcons rookie defensive end Takkarist McKinley was involved in several good one-on-one matchups during training camp. AP Photo/John Bazemore

"On the defensive side, one of the guys I saw really improve from the spring and into training camp the first couple of weeks was Dontari Poe, with putting him into a new style and a new system. He’s somebody who jumped out to me for sure. I thought Adrian Clayborn has had a good camp. For him, he did individual for the first part and then did some pass rush after that. He’s been somebody that’s jumped out. De'Vondre Campbell is another one we’ve asked to get into some pass rush. He’s been one."

So which head-to-head matchups did Quinn enjoy the most? Typically, it was Mack against Jarrett.

"It was a good one," Quinn said. "All sorts of ones were good ones. We’ve had Jake Matthews versus Adrian Clayborn before. We’ve had Dontari Poe and Ben Garland. We’ve had Grady Jarrett and Ra'Shede Hageman versus Wes Schweitzer. There were some good ones there. Ra'Shede is another one who I thought has had his best camp in my three years with him. He’s been a factor for sure."

The Falcons now switch from training camp into their usual practice mode as they continue to prepare for the season. But the end of training camp is just the beginning of the season-long theme of competition -- at all times.