Another Falcons draft selection, another surprise.
The Falcons traded up (I'll get the terms later) to grab Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks. Projected by some as a second round talent, Franks fell over concerns about....well, I don't really know why he fell. Apparently, he's pretty raw.
My first reaction here was "WHAT?!" My second reaction was "Wow, Franks actually sounds pretty good." This might and should signal the end of Brian Williams in Atlanta, and the wealth of young talent at cornerback will allow us to give Franks a redshirt year to learn the defense. He's also enormously athletically talented, which means he could be an immediate factor on special teams. He also has some natural coverage talent, a strong sense of confidence and good foot speed.
Frankly (ha!), I think this says a lot about the future direction of the Falcons at cornerback. Dunta Robinson is locked in as a starter, but Chris Owens, Brent Grimes and Franks will all be duking it out in the future for a chance to start. If the Falcons are doing what i think they're doing, Grimes is going to be nickel so he can concentrate on picking passes, which leaves Owens starting in the short-term. If he falters, Franks could overtake him. If not, Franks will be a valuable piece of depth.
Wow, that's a muddled depth chart. Still, you can't argue with adding potential top-flight talent to a historically weak position for the Falcons. I think Franks will be valuable sooner than later. Great pick this late in the draft.