Here's some quick thoughts on each of our four selections so far:
DE Jamaal Anderson: I was pretty crushed when we missed out on Landry, but that's the way it goes. It was pretty clearly a choice between Okoye and Anderson, and the team determined we needed the defensive end more. You can't argue with Anderson's potential, and he has lots of the word that football analysts mutter into their pillows at night: "upside". But he's also going this high largely based on one year and can sometimes be taken out of plays. Is it the ideal choice? No, probably a bit of a reach. But he'll be starting by next year and hopefully doing pretty well, to boot.
OG Justin Blalock This is, bar none, my favorite pick of the draft so far. There are people who say Blalock has work to do, and I won't disagree with that. But he's a very complete guard and he's an immediate upgrade at Lehr's old spot, if that's where they decide to play him. Terrific value for the spot, and the player I think is most likely to pan out quickly for the Falcons.
CB Chris Houston I'm not knocking Houston; he's got a real chance to start for us opposite DeAngelo Hall. But I am questioning the wisdom of dropping second-round picks on cornerbacks if you're not going to use them. The Falcons really needed a safety in this spot after missing out on Landry, and while I do think this will provide a lot more depth in the secondary, Houston probably wasn't the pick we needed. Last time I checked, Jimmy Williams had a lot of potential and was going to start, and this pick really clouds that picture. But yes, having Houston or Williams as a nickel back sure beats the hell out of the ambigiously crappy duo of Webster and Rossum.
WR Laurent Robinson So when you've got a receiving corps filled with speedy guys who can't catch, who do you go out and get? That's right! A slow guy who can catch. If it wasn't blatantly obvious, I'm not a big fan of this pick. I figured the Falcons would try to swoop up someone like Robinson or David Clowney in the fourth or fifth round, but this smells strongly of a reach for the sake of shaking up the receiving corps. Where are all these guys going to go? Gibson and Hamilton are obviously gone, but does this even leave room for Adam Jennings? If you ask me, this was a bad move, but I will grudgingly admit we could use a possession receiver like Robinson. I just hope he can get out on the field. [editor's note, by Dave the Falconer] After further review (and I meant to fix this sooner), Robinson's not all that slow. Does this mean he's going to be another big guy with speed who falls all over himself when he's asked to come up with a big catch? Please no.
So that's my thinking. What's your opinion of the draft thus far?