There was a time when Ryan Broyles was one of the top receiver prospects in America. A catastrophic injury tends to ruin those projections.
Broyles is a mighty mite with quality speed, good hands and some pretty excellent route running ability, which combined to make him an easy second day choice for many teams. At 5'10", it's not like he's that small, and by and large he's just a terrific prospect. A coat of polish and he's at the very least a capable slot receiver.
Unfortunately, a torn ACL cost him his senior season from November 5 on, and it inevitably damaged his stock. Broyles, who is somehow running a 4.7 40 just four months after the ACL tear, now is widely projected to go somewhere between rounds three and five.
There are more pressing needs for the Atlanta Falcons, but Broyles is an intriguing prospect. If the Falcons could pick him up in the middle rounds—and this is assuming that Harry Douglas walks, of course—then he'd be a superb slot receiver of the future. The Falcons would just have to bring him along slowly to ensure he doesn't re-injure his ACL.
So why get him? As I mentioned, Broyles is an excellent prospect, a guy who can help your offense in a lot of different ways. If the Falcons could possibly get their hands on him in the late fourth or fifth rounds—possibly by re-shuffling some draft picks—it would be a worthy gamble. Having Roddy White, Julio Jones, Broyles and Tony Gonzalez/a young tight end going forward would give Ryan an embarrassment of weapons, not to mention some of the promising young guys further down on the depth chart.
It's not a necessary pick by any stretch of the imagination, but I could see Broyles fitting in well in Atlanta if he tumbles down the boards. Can you?