Matt Maiocco is known for his work as the 49ers beat writer. But he recently devised a five-year study of the NFL draft. It is fairly subjective, taking draft position, number of "star players" acquired, late round sleepers selected, and booms/busts into account. The Packers (insert sound of projectile vomit) ranked first and the Bills ranked last. We ranked 5th. Here's what he had to say about the Falcons.
Number of picks: 42
Still on team: 26
Starters: 9
Best pick: QB Matt Ryan, 2008
Worst pick: DE Jamaal Anderson, 2007
Overall: The Falcons had bad drafts in 2006 and '07, as their top picks were Anderson and cornerback Jimmy Williams. But since Thomas Dimitroff came on the scene as general manager, things greatly improved. The Falcons selected eight starters over the past three drafts. The selection of Ryan was huge. The Falcons are certain they've found their quarterback of the now future. Dimitroff also selected the Falcons' left tackle Sam Baker and their top three tacklers: Curtis Lofton, Thomas DeCoud and William Moore.
Not sure what he means by QB of the "now future." Does that somehow differ from a QB of the regular "future"? Maybe I'm just reading into his terminology too much. In any case, it doesn't seem like he relied too heavily on selection of starters, as the Bills managed 8 starters (out of their 43 picks). It's nonetheless an interesting perspective. And just imagine where we'd rank if TD were hired in 2006 instead of 2008.