Our own talented Mr. James Rael dug this great Football's Future list up, which gives us a look at everyone the Atlanta Falcons have worked out leading up to the NFL Draft.
Before you do anything else, bookmark this list. I'll bring it out into the sunlight a couple more times, I'm sure, but it's extremely useful. Anything that helps us to get even more amped for the draft is money.
That public service announcement out of the way, let's get down to the analysis. After the jump, I'll examine some trends. Y'all know how I examine those trends.
Trend #1: The team is pushing RB, WR, DE, CB hard
It's hard to come away with any other conclusion. The team has worked out close to or more than a dozen players at each of those positions, signaling their interest in addressing them in the draft.
Within those individual positions, it's easy to identify where the Falcons are looking at. Most of the running backs on the list are mid-to-late round draft picks, as are those cornerbacks who are not Brandon Harris and Aaron Williams. At wide receiver and defensive end, however, there's a healthy smattering of potential first or second round picks.
None of this is surprising. We've been speculating here that the team would hit DE and WR up top and make secondary and running back later priorities. I'm pretty comfortable with that.
Trend #2: Treading lightly on offensive linemen
The only big surprise for me within the list is that the Falcons haven't been linked to more offensive linemen, given our long-standing ruminations that the team will try to plug probable holes left by the departure of at least one of Tyson Clabo, Harvey Dahl and Justin Blalock.
Of course, if things shake out so that unrestricted free agency is not extended to those players with less than six seasons of service time, the line will hold together for another year. Worth remembering.
The team is doing their due diligence on some of the top tackle prospects in the draft, including Tyron Smith, Anthony Costanzo and Gabe Carimi. That could be indicating that Tyson Clabo won't be back if there is free agency, or I could be making things up. Pick your poison.
Trend #3: Athleticism is a huge focus
One only needs to look at this list for a few minutes to see that the Falcons are serious about becoming a more athletic team.
It shows in receivers like Titus Young and Edmond Gates. It shows in cornerbacks like Marcus Gilchrist and Buster Skrine. Heck, it even shows at defensive tackle, where Jurrell Casey is among the names the team is entertaining.
The Falcons have an established talent base, but the offense is still plodding at times and the defense struggles against explosive players. The remedy for that is pure, smooth athletic talent, and it's heartening to see the team seriously looking at improving theirs.
So those are three trends I found. Feel free to add more in the comments.