Atlanta Falcons Mock Draft: 7 Rounds Before the Senior Bowl
The Atlanta Falcons have to make a ton of improvements to their roster this coming season.
From the schemes to the players, Atlanta needs a major overhaul on defense and some tweaks to the offense. The two main schools of thought for a draft and free-agency strategy are conflicting.
The first thought is to go pure "best player available" in the draft regardless of positional need, and then sign at least stop-gap starters to fill the true needs.
The next school of thought is to sign impact players regardless of where they align, and then draft based on the biggest needs for both long and short term.
Round 1: DE/OLB Dante Fowler, Florida
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The biggest need for the Falcons is pass rush.
Atlanta has some players who can be solid secondary pass-rushers—like Jonathan Massaquoi and Stansly Maponga— but it's useless to have those guys without a primary disruptive force off the edge.
Dante Fowler is chaos. He can line up anywhere and disrupt an offense as a stand-up blitzer off the edge, a hand-in-the-dirt pass-rusher or an interior A-gap penetrator.
The Falcons would love to have someone with his kind of versatility in their defense.
More than that, they could combine him with a free-agency signing that would allow a rotation of Fowler, the free agent and Massaquoi to stay fresh and attack all game.
Fowler's biggest question marks involve his athleticism, but with a physical profile similar to Justin Houston or Terrell Suggs, he should be a highly productive professional.
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 265 pounds
Class: Junior
Stats
2014: 12 games played, 60 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 17 QB hurries, 2 fumbles forced, 1 fumble recovered, 1 pass deflection
2013: 12 games played, 50 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 3 fumbles forced, 1 pass deflection
2012: 13 games played, 30 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 QB hurry
Round 2: RB Todd Gurley, Georgia
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Atlanta needs a workhorse running back. Normally, taking a running back early in the second round seems like a wasted pick, but the Falcons need someone to help set the tone for their new offense and take the pressure off of Matt Ryan.
Todd Gurley is similar to Pittsburgh running back Le'Veon Bell and current Atlanta running back Steven Jackson—when he was coming out of college. He has a tall, thick frame with great top-end speed and already understands nuances in pass blocking that would allow him to impact right away.
He runs with power and authority but also has the ability to burn a team with his raw speed. There are questions with his vision, but in a one-cut-and-go kind of scheme, he'd be at his best.
The only reason why he would fall out of the first round is his ACL injury that knocked him out during the Auburn game this past season.
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 226 pounds
Class: Junior
Stats
2014: 6 games played, 123 carries, 911 yards, 9 touchdowns, 12 catches, 57 yards, 1-of-1 passing, 50 yards, 4 kick returns, 179 yards, 1 touchdown
2013: 10 games played, 165 carries, 989 yards, 10 touchdowns, 37 catches, 441 yards, 6 touchdowns
2012: 14 games played, 222 carries, 1,385 yards, 17 touchdowns, 16 catches, 117 yards, 7 kick returns, 243 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 tackle
Round 3: OG Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M
3 of 8
Speaking of ACL injuries, Cedric Ogbuehi will likely slip due to the one he suffered during the bowl game. However, the Falcons should gladly take the Texas A&M offensive lineman and train him to play left guard for a season behind Justin Blalock.
Atlanta is looking at a likely move to the zone-blocking system, and Ogbuehi would be an ideal guard between Jake Matthews and Joe Hawley. With the right side of the line being a young pairing in Jon Asamoah and Ryan Schraeder, the Falcons would have the ideal athleticism for the scheme at all five spots.
Ogbuehi would also allow the Falcons to have excellent depth at multiple spots along the line, as he could backup at right tackle, left tackle or either guard spot.
So even if he doesn't start as a rookie, he should still have a ton of value as he heals up completely.
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 305 pounds
Class: Redshirt senior
Stats
2014: 12 games started — 10 at left tackle, 2 at right tackle
2013: 11 games started at right tackle
2012: 13 games started at guard
2011: 6 games started at guard and tackle
2010: Redshirted
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Round 4: LB Ben Heeney, Kansas
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Ben Heeney is an interesting option in that he's another undersized, quick linebacker. However, he's got great coverage instincts and is an intelligent run-defender.
He's not great at shedding blocks, but with the Falcons likely move to a pure 4-3 defense, Heeney could wind up being a huge asset on the strong side.
Atlanta's linebacker group is lead by what looks like a young, talented linebacker in Paul Worrilow and a ton of younger players like Prince Shembo, Joplo Bartu and Marquis Spruill—potential guys who can battle for starting spots.
However, the Falcons need someone who excels in coverage, and they need someone who can play next to Worrilow on the weak side or compete for a spot on the strong side should they re-sign Sean Weatherspoon at weak-side linebacker.
Either way, Heeney does have value here and would be a great fit for Atlanta.
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 230 pounds
Class: Senior
Stats
2014: 12 games played, 127 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 4 QB hurries, 1 interception, 2 fumbles forced, 1 pass deflection
2013: 10 games played, 87 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 2 QB hurries, 3 interceptions, 2 pass deflections
2012: 12 games played, 112 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 1 QB hurry, 1 fumble forced, 2 pass deflections
2011: 12 Games Played, 8 Tackles, 1 Blocked Kick
Round 5: TE E.J. Bibbs, Iowa State
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With how Levine Toilolo completely disappointed this season, the Falcons need someone who can start at tight end and play well on the line.
In 2014, Toilolo was rated as the NFL's worst tight end in the passing game and one of the worst 10 in run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
E.J. Bibbs doesn't have the typical size that most in-line blockers have, but he's a solid drive blocker and would be an improvement over Toilolo. He should be able to easily beat out Toilolo in the passing game, as well, because he runs solid routes and creates yards after the catch.
The only thing Bibbs doesn't do is stretch the seams effectively.
Nonetheless, if the Falcons can get someone who provides the same things that Tony Gonzalez did in 2012 and 2013 with slightly better blocking, they will have a great fit for their offense.
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 265pounds
Class: Senior
Stats
2014: 10 games played, 45 catches, 382 yards, 8 touchdowns
2013: 12 games played, 39 catches, 462 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 kick return, 10 yards, 1 tackle
2012: played at Arizona Western CC
2011: played at Arizona Western CC
Round 6: CB Troy Hill, Oregon
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Robert Alford, Desmond Trufant and Ricardo Allen are the only Falcons cornerbacks under contract for the 2015 season and beyond. Atlanta needs more depth, and a tall, fast corner like Troy Hill would be a perfect fit as a nickelback or dime corner.
Hill performed extremely well this past season as the No. 2 cornerback at Oregon. He knocked away almost 20 passes and played like a solid, mid-level coverage corner on the right side of the field. He also performed well as a slot defender when called to play that role.
But his biggest strength came in run defense.
He's a wrap-up tackler who doesn't miss often and could be an interesting fit if the Falcons start to run a defense where the corners match up with wide receivers based on skill sets and talent levels as opposed to the sides of the field.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175 pounds
Class: Redshirt senior
Stats
2014: 14 games played, 71 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 2 fumbles forced, 18 pass deflections, 1 kick return, 7 yards
2013: 11 games played, 29 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, sacks, 1 fumble forced, 4 pass deflections, 5 kick returns, 91 yards
2012: 10 games played, 26 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 4 pass deflections, 1 defensive touchdown
2011: 13 games played, 43 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 6 pass deflections, 2 kick returns, 53 yards
2010: Redshirted
Round 7: WR/TE Darren Waller, Georgia Tech
7 of 8
After watching Jimmy Graham destroy their own linebackers for the past few seasons, the Falcons need to find their own receiving threat. Darren Waller might not be the ideal tight end fresh out of the gate, but he has the size, speed and intelligence to develop into a great slot receiver and tight end.
Waller has great experience blocking in the running game, as well, due to playing in an option offense all throughout college. His transition to the NFL as an all-around tight end might take a couple of years, but he could be the next big matchup issue.
Combining Waller with E.J. Bibbs and Levine Toilolo near the goal line would be scary for any team to face. Toilolo and Waller out wide running slant routes where Matt Ryan could just throw it high and hope they catch it seems like an ideal concept for the red zone—and like a way to win games in the NFC South.
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 245 pounds
Class: Senior
Stats
2014: 12 games played, 26 catches, 442 yards, 6 touchdowns
2013: 12 games played, 17 catches, 367 yards, 3 touchdowns
2012: 14 games played, 8 catches, 162 yards, 2 tackles
2011: 11 games played, 1 blocked kick
Round 7: NT Jeffrey Whitaker, Auburn
8 of 8
The Falcons spent a ton of money on Paul Soliai to be the solution as a plugger in the middle of the defense. However, he's 31 years old and could be nearing the end of his career after a couple of more seasons—Atlanta needs someone who can take over when that happens.
While a seventh-round pick isn't normally anything but a special teams guy, the Falcons could get Jeffrey Whitaker, someone with a ton of potential and size that would allow the team to eventually replace Soliai.
Whitaker is a massive mountain of a man with experience in multiple fronts.
His primary role at Auburn was almost exactly the same as what his role in a Falcons defense would be. He'd be asked to fire off the ball in the A-gap almost every play, trying to take up a double team and clear some lanes for the linebackers to run downhill.
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 322 pounds
Class: Senior
Stats
2014: 9 games played, 5 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss
2013: injury redshirt
2012: 9 games played, 12 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries
2011: 13 games played, 25 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 3 QB hurries,1 fumble forced
2010: 13 games played, 7 tackles, 2 QB hurries
All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro-day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.
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