D. Orlando Ledbetter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has his first mock draft up, and he's taking Miami defensive end Allen Bailey.
You may recall that Draft Countdown also had the Falcons taking Bailey in their latest mock draft, so DOL isn't out in the wilderness on this one. He's also hitting arguably one of the Falcons' biggest needs, as they still don't have any truly awe-inspiring options opposite John Abraham.
The Georgia native is a talented pass rusher and a guy with a reputation for working to better himself, making him a good fit for the character-focused Falcons. Each of the last two seasons, he's posted seven sacks and 11 tackles for a loss, indicating his ability to get into the backfield. While those are shy of elite numbers, you have to remember that Bailey is a big dude who has shown ability against the run, too. A well-rounded defensive end is always welcome in the Georgia Dome.
The argument against this, I suppose, would be that Kroy Biermann is a perfectly capable starter. He is. There's also the little matter of whether you believe Bailey has been as dominant as he should be against quality competition, and I'll leave that discussion to people who follow Miami football a lot more closely than I do.
I wouldn't say DOL is a draft expert--then again, who is?--but I do think this is a sensible pick. I know some of you aren't fond of Bailey, however, so feel free to discuss.