Falcons Movin' On Up In The Draft
by Dave Choate on Jan 24, 2009 8:00 AM EST
in Falcons News
Email
PrintThe Falcons are now picking 24th in the draft.
While this isn't exactly prime real estate in the NFL Draft, there have been some decent picks at that very spot in the last few years. Back in 2005, Aaron Rodgers fell all the way down to the Packers there, while the Titans scooped up wunderkind running back and Matt Ryan hater Chris Johnson there just this last year. With so many teams with new coaches who really need offensive playmakers right gosh darn now, there's a very good chance the Falcons will get a shot at a guy like B.J. Raji.
Several mouth-breathing intelligent analysts have us taking a guy like Brandon Pettigrew at TE, a course that I just can't support no matter how hard I try to talk myself into it. If a super talented defensive tackle like Raji or one of the top safeties in the draft is sitting there at 24 and we go skill position on offense, I'm going to be apoplectic. As you know from last year, that involves more cursing than a Quentin Tarantino movie.
Now that we're clear, though, who do you see the Falcons taking at 24?
32 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Easy, defense.
Best defensive player available. Aside from MLB, is there any spot we couldn’t use help at?
Well ...
Depends on who you ask.
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Who Should the Falcons take at 24?
I agree, the best defensive player. I believe that championship football is predicated on running the football offensively and stopping the run defenseively. We were able to scheme a lot on defense and hide some of our weaknesses, but I doubt that we’ll be able to do that next year. My preference would be to prioritize the following positions in the following order: a) DL; b) OL; c) S (secondary — preferably a ball-hawking safety); d) LB; e) TE.
I think Dimitroff should emphasize defense in this draft, but continue building depth in the offensive line when the opportunity presents itself. I would love to see us get a TE in the next draft or two or through free agency because a big space eater that can catch the ball over the middle is an enormous asset on third-and-7+, and time of possession is a huge help to the defense, but it seems to me that the priority should be to be able to play defense with a minimum of gimmicks.
BTW, I love this site. I’ve been trolling it for a while because I’m a college professor and I don’t have too much time for fun stuff like this, but being stuck here in Oklahoma means I’ve been watching most ATL games vicariously through this site and the NFL networks red zone. Hopefully next year they’ll get more national coverage.
Hmm ...
I’d say LB is a bigger priority than OL. I mean, Clabo is a worthless piece of … er, I mean, he’s not very good. What’s your thinking behind going after an O-Lineman before Brooking’s replacement?
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Dimitroff learned his lessons from the Patriots
From his days as a Patriot, Dimitroff knows the importance of drafting a difference-maker up front. Look for him to pick a DT (Raji or Jerry) in the 1st.
Counter Point: As a former Patriot he also knows how difficult it is to find a premier TE. So if he is convinced Pettigrew is the next Jason Whitten he may take a chance…I doubt it.
I expect us to draft a SS in the 2nd and bring Milloy back for at least 1 more year.
Falcon Fans UNITE!
it's rare for me to do this
but if Pettigrew is available at #24, I would hate to see the Falcons let him slip away. With so many available defensive playmakers coming out in the Free Agency, I would hate to let someone who can make such a difference as Pettigrew slip through our fingers. I see a lot of potential in him and he would fill all the holes that are Peele and Hartstock – being able to successfully and unpredictably make Matt Ryan AND Micheal Turner shine.
I do agree that it is very important to prioritize defense through this draft – especially concidering all the high-powered offenses we have waiting for us in the 2009 season. But think about it – someone like Pettigrew isn’t available in the Free Agency. You’ll find defensive playmakers ALL through the draft
oops - didn't clarify my topic
“It’s rare for me to do this” – I’m referring to disagreeing with Dave, he’s normally very wise in his predictions. Though his opinions do seem very biased towards the falcons for some reason.
On a side note – I do trust Dimitroff’s decision-making abilities. I remember cursing his name with the aquisition of Matt Ryan with our first pick… but he spent the rest of the season proving to me why I had not reason to doubt his abilities as a GM
by MentallyMIA on Jan 24, 2009 11:18 PM EST up reply actions
I HEART PETTIGREW
But I really don’t see him dropping to us.
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Who Should the Falcons take at 24?
With the personnel in place, I would tend to work the line of scrimage backward; that is, get the most talented big people in the earlier rounds, and work backward. If the Boston College NT/DT is there at 24, I would say that he should be the pick. However, if he’s gone, and there is a truly talented top-flight OL out there, I would really like to see us get to work on putting a quality line in front of Ryan/Turner. It seemed to me that our running game got stopped at times when it really shouldn’t have. And I confess that I am not completely sold on the OL play this past year. I would hate to see Ryan get exposed because we got complacent.
That said, I would agree that if one of those USC linebackers (Malauaga or the other guy) or one of the other top-rated LBs out there, then I would advocate going in that direction.
Overall, my advise would be to stockpile defensive talent in this draft, but keep an eye on higher rated offensive personnel — especially OL and TE — with at least one of the first three picks.
Raji will go top ten
Unless we plan on trading waaaaay up … it ain’t gonna happen.
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Brian Cushing
i think he’s the hidden gem in this draft. He would be Brooking’s replacement and we wouldn’t have to wait for him to start he could jump right in the starting line up. I doubt him and Raji will fall to us. It will be on or the other.
by iloveroddywhite on Jan 25, 2009 2:58 PM EST reply actions
This draft is deep in LBs
When a stud LB like Curtis Lofton can fall to the 2nd, we should be in no hurry to draft a LB. We can find a solid OLB in the 2nd or 3rd.
We should focus on DTs. Defensive consistency starts with stud DTs. Consider Mike Smith’s ‘07 Jaguars’ DTs Henderson and Stroud. Without Stroud the Jags weren’t the same team in ’08.
Falcon Fans UNITE!
I really see us going OT in the first round (if certain "factors" fall into place)
Bear w/ me here … Raji won’t be around if we’re still picking 24th come April. Neither will Pettigrew. Cushing will likely be the best available LB, but as Blue Falcon pointed out, we can fill that need in the 2nd or 3rd round.
The last time there was this much talent at OT … I wore my ninja turtles t-shirt everyday (so thee years ago). No, but seriously, if there is a talented OT available come our time to pick, and if the best available DT is 2nd round talent/we can pick up a quality LB in the second or third round/the best available safety is second round talent, then why wouldn’t we go OT?
So, to sum up, if the following things happen:
1. Raji is gone
2. Pettigrew is gone
3. Best available DT/S/LB = second round talent
4. There is 1st round OT talent available
Why wouldn’t we go OT?
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Just some players who will probably be around that could be falling through the cracks
Peria Jerry DT – in the backfield all the time…first rounder
Patrick Chung SS- getting flack for his size but so did Bob Sanders right? The guy’s a player
Jared Cook TE – we’d snatch this guy up if he’s still there any time after the first round
Maybe these aren’t the guys we should take but just because somebody isn’t rated as a First round prospect doesn’t mean that they aren’t first round talents…we all know that Bob Sanders, Osi Umenyiora, Jared Allen, and Tom Brady weren’t rated as first round prospects, but they were first round talents.
Peria Jerry
I don’t see the next Albert Haynesworth in this draft, but I’d like to see more analysis on Peria Jerry. To my untrained eye he looks like he could at least have Rocky Bernard-like potential. Paired with Babineaux and Moorhead our DL could do some damage.
I like Grady Jackson, but I believe he gave us all he has to give this season. (Thank you Grady.) Even if we bring him back in a limited fashion, I believe now is the time to upgrade our DT position. Our secondary is good, but can easily be taken advantage of if our DL can’t pressure opposing QBs.
If Raji is gone and Jerry doesn’t grade out, then I think we must focus on our future SS in the 1st round.
Falcon Fans UNITE!
I like Peria Jerry
For what’s it worth, I’m convinced that the team is actually going to get a DT or an OL in the first round this year. I said that last year too and was only half right, so who knows.
Still, if Raji’s gone, the team will definitely at least look hard at some of the better DT prospects. Sen’Derrick Marks out of Auburn is another possibility.
I'm glad someone see's where I'm coming from re: going OT in the first round
If there isn’t a S/DT/LB there that we really want, and there is a talented OT available (assuming we haven’t already signed Jordan Gross) … GO OT!
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Marks is a joke.
He folded against Bama.
"If the Falcons ever manage to win a Super Bowl in my lifetime, I'll french kiss a toilet." - a friend.
by Adam Schultz on Jan 28, 2009 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know too much about him
Outside of some early scouting reports and his position in mock drafts, so I welcome anything you’ve got.
In the Auburn/Alabama game, against a decent OL...
The Alabama running backs, Coffee and Ingram, almost always ran up the middle. Coffee ran 41 yards for a touchdown. Combined, the two backs had three rushing touchdowns up the middle. Keep in mind that Ingram was a freshman at the time. Marks was pushed around by my good friend Antoine Caldwell like he was a feather. Caldwell said that Marks just didn’t have any push or aggression off the snap. Caldwell may have just been overmatching Marks but if Caldwell, whose draft stature is (self admittedly) low, can throw him to the ground on most snaps, I don’t see him benefitting us much.
Granted, mediocre college players sometimes have a habit of shining in the pros. Maybe he can prove me wrong if he makes it to the big league.
"If the Falcons ever manage to win a Super Bowl in my lifetime, I'll french kiss a toilet." - a friend.
by Adam Schultz on Jan 28, 2009 4:59 PM EST up reply actions
>.<
I see that we only have two sets of options.
Option:A – Trade Up for Pettigrew.If not now we’ll be looking to do it next year for Greisham.
Option:B Trade Down.None of the players possibly available at 24 are actually worth the first round pick in my opion.The D-Line and Safety depth is not there in this draft.
The fact remains…..In free agency majority of our problems can be fixed before even entering the draft.Will we choose to do moreso of a re-haul on some of our key personnel this year or the next?Changes must occur with our LB,S,CB(must see continued growth),DT.On the Offensive side we need a playmaking TE who can spread the defense and allow us to take some pressure off our defense.And lastly we could use another O-lineman.
The senior bowl workouts have shown me that the O-line core in this year’s draft is deep.In fact the first two picks in the draft could be O-lineman with as many as 4-5 going in the first round.
I'm not opposed to trading down
But I’ve taken a better look at what’s out there, and I would definitely stay in that spot if Pettigrew or Raji were available.
The problem with trading down...
I love the idea of “trading down” in the draft, but there’s a couple of concerns with it:
1) We need a trade partner. The NFL is getting smarter, and not as many teams draft for need. If there’s truly no one available at 24, we may have a harder time finding a team to take the spot from us.
2) If we really do need D-Line and S that bad, we have to consider who is drafting around us with those same needs. As much as I hate to say it, if we need someone in that spot who is a high-second round projection, we better be darn sure no one else is going to reach for him before we trade down with the intent to pick him. I’d hate to lost a potentially valuable plug for a roster hole because we didn’t want to draft someone too early, and we lost him to someone else who could afford to take that chance.
All I’m saying is “We must trade down” is easy to say on paper (or on screen), but a lot harder to do in reality.
Why draft an OL?
Several of you think we should address or OL with the 1st pick. Why? I know our line isn’t perfect and we have some health issues, but our guys were more than adequate and played with more heart than most. I could see bringing in an affordable free agent or a 2nd rounder for depth and competition, but I would not be upset if we went to war next season with the same group of guys.
Assuming free agency doesn’t drastically change our situation, the only justification I can come up with for taking an OL in the 1st is if Raji and Pettigrew are gone and a top ten lineman inexplicably drops to the 24 spot. Otherwise we should maintain our focus on DT and SS.
Help me out.
Falcon Fans UNITE!
My kingdom for a DT or MLB!
OL is not in need at the moment. Yeah, we could shore it up but I want to see some defensive acquisitions.
"If the Falcons ever manage to win a Super Bowl in my lifetime, I'll french kiss a toilet." - a friend.
by Adam Schultz on Jan 28, 2009 7:45 PM EST up reply actions
Here's my thinking ...
Granted, this is only my opinion, but I watched every game last season (so I don’t think I’m entirely clueless on this one).
Let’s look at the starters:
LT and LG are set. I truly believe the tandem of Baker and Blaylock will hold down Matty Ice’s blind side for years to come.
C is good (for now). McClure’s mohawk was the best I’ve ever seen, and he’s a true asset to our club (great work ethic/excellent leader), but his career is undoubtedly on the decline. IMO he’s our starting C next year and the year after.
RT and RG are questionable for me. Dahl plays his ass off, so much so that he makes up for his lack of talent and then some. I’d love to see him compete for the RG position again next year. Clabo, to me, is the anti-Christ. I threw more than one empty beer car at the t.v. this year after a Clabo penalty (especially down the stretch). He looked horrible against the Cards. Not saying he shouldn’t be on the team, not even saying he lacks talent, I just feel like he has a horrible habit of committing penalties when he is overmatched (see: every week). I honestly feel like we could do better.
Backups:
Granted, they’re backup O-Linemen, so they’re supposed to be somewhat mediocre, but Quinn O is a pure run blocker (we drafted him to block for Ron Mexico), McClure’s knees are held together by popsicle sticks and glue, and while Michael “My Mom is the Syrup Chick” Butterworth is the freakin’ man, the rest are hardly worth mentioning.
So what moves do we need to make?
I’m w/ ya on going to battle w/ the same group, minus Clabo. We could draft a second/third rounder or sign a FA to replace him, but if it isn’t worthwhile for us to trade down/we’d have to break the bank to land a FA, and there isn’t a DT/LB/S/DE there that we really want, then it might make sense to go OT. Only because there is an immense amount of OT talent in this draft. Just to put it in perspective, there are 6-7 OT prospects rated higher than the best C prospect (who isn’t even Alex Mack [the third best C prospect in the draft … notwithstanding the fact that scouts have compared him to Jeff Saturday]).
So, like I said, IF (notice that’s a big "if") there isn’t a DT/LB/S/DE there that we want … and if we don’t want to go after Gross or another FA … and if there’s an OT there that our scouts/TD thinks could help us … THEN I’m all for it.
In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a C in the later rounds (as the thought of Stepanovich or Wilkerson replacing McClure [if he goes down] scares me to death).
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
(wow ... I need to find some more hobbies)
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
if you had other hobbies
what good would you be to us here?
stick with it – you are very knowledgeable on the subject. Maybe Dave should promote you to something to help him in his absence (I do recall a particular ‘icing’ situation that created a slight absence)
I mean, why be a “jack of all trades” when you can be a “master of one”?
Yeah
But my g.p.a. would probably go up slightly if I made studying a habit. Thanks for the props though.
"He's getting better, but he's not there yet ..."
- Bobby Cox (talking about Boyer)
Who needs to study books when game film is so much more interesting?
"If the Falcons ever manage to win a Super Bowl in my lifetime, I'll french kiss a toilet." - a friend.
by Adam Schultz on Jan 29, 2009 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
