What Recent History Suggests About the Atlanta Falcons' 2015 NFL Draft Plan

The Atlanta Falcons will have a unique 2015 draft plan from what they had from 2008-2014 because of new head coach Dan Quinn. On top of that, Thomas Dimitroff has had some of his scouting duties delegated to Scott Pioli as part of the offseason restructuring.

That being said, the Falcons will still be using analytics to determine who to draft. Quinn will have an impact on who will be selected because of how the Falcons have a synergistic attitude from the top down. They'll still be focused on the explosiveness and scheme fits that Dimitroff has always looked for.

Atlanta will also be very likely to trade. Dimitroff has been an extremely predictable general manager when it comes to his draft picks in the first round, as he's focused on need and scheme fit. It would be unlikely for that to change regardless of how the "final say" structure has changed.

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Drafting Explosive Athletes and Dan Quinn's Impact

The Falcons may have already tipped their hand a bit when they made their free-agent signings that they were looking for more explosive and athletic players. Coach Quinn coming from Seattle where they love using SPARQ ratings to sort athletes into their best possible spots will come into play.

The Adrian Clayborn, Brooks Reed and O'Brien Schofield signings added much better pass-rush talent to a team that needed it, while also bringing in more athletic players to help set and shut down the edges. Before they were signed, the Falcons didn't have anyone that was truly athletic coming off the edge.

Zach Whitman of Field Gulls and 3-Sigma Athlete is one of the leading experts who answered a couple of questions about how his pSPARQ variable worked and how the Falcons new head coach will be interested in using it to help find players for his new team. His thoughts were as follows:

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On Dan Quinn, it's hard to have a feel. My guess is that you'd see a few more typical Seahawk picks, but not a wholesale adoption of SPARQ. He changed the way the defense worked quite a bit when he was here, so he's not just going to parrot what Carroll does.

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And that makes a ton of sense. The combination of general manager Thomas Dimitroff already using metrics since 2008 and Dan Quinn using SPARQ will likely create a bit of a hybrid thought process when it comes to metrics in Atlanta. 

A few players who have jumped off the page, according to Whitman, speaking for his pSPARQ metric, which mimics SPARQ, who would fit Falcons needs include offensive lineman Ali Marpet, edge players Vic Beasley and Bud Dupree, running backs Ameer Abdullah and David Johnson, and tight ends MyCole Pruitt and Tyler Kroft.

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Drafting Skill Sets That Fit the Scheme

One thing that won't change with Quinn coming on board is Dimitroff's tendency to draft players who fit a profile, scheme and skill set that his head coach wants. That's one of the best things he's done throughout his tenure as the general manager in Atlanta.

It's a big reason why he wasn't taking top edge players for the defenses due to Mike Smith and Mike Nolan's thoughts that they could scheme pressure if they had the proper interior defenders. It's also a big reason why his first two signings for Quinn were a pair of linebackers who fit the new defensive scheme.

The idea that the GM and coaches are on the same page is something that comes down from owner Arthur Blank. Synergy is the name of the game for Atlanta. Even if a pick doesn't make a ton of sense based on the national media value, the pick will make sense for the Falcons scheme, need and team fit.

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A Trade Is Going to Happen

Atlanta will be making a trade at some point during the 2015 NFL draft. In seven years drafting for the Falcons, Dimitroff has made at least one trade during every single draft that he has been a part of. That includes trade ups and trade downs. 

The Falcons aren't afraid to move up or down for players they like or to pick up an extra pick or two for a player whom they feel they can get later. The Falcons are wheelers and dealers and will likely continue their streak of trading a pick either up or down at some point in the draft.

Hopefully, it's down so that the Falcons can re-coup a pick in the 2016 draft to replace the fifth round pick that they lost as part of the Decibacle scandal where they pumped noise into the stadium. They could also use the extra picks to help with depth for the 2015 season and beyond.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats, ESPN.com, CFBStats.com or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac. Quotes are firsthand, unless noted otherwise.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He's also a Draft Analyst for Pro Football Spot.

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