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Dimitroff talks tight ends, scouting at Combine

USA TODAY Sports

As the entire league fixates around Indianapolis, the Falcons are surely keeping their eyes on a few positions in particular at the 2013 NFL Combine to eventually address come April. With Tony Gonzalez possibly walking away from football this offseason, tight end is a top priority for the franchise.

Thomas Dimitroff spoke with Kimberly Jones of NFL Network on Saturday to discuss his outlook on the position for the Falcons in 2013. While Gonzalez is still on the fence, Dimitroff knows a new tight end will be needed sometime soon.

"The 50-50 comments that I made, I would like to say that was probably tongue-in-cheek. It's wishful thinking. Hopefully he comes back," said Dimitroff. "Ideally we'd like to know as soon as possible. But we definitely will be concentrating on tight ends. It's a very important position in this league now, so rest assured we'll be honing in on that position."

Once again mock drafts are quick to point towards the Falcons selecting a tight end early on in the draft, but Gonzalez's decision will factor into the importance of finding an heir to the throne. There are some quality prospects for likely the second round. Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz continue to be mentioned. Replacing a Hall of Famer won't be a trifling task. It's hard to tell what the offense will look like exactly without No. 88's presence.

Dimitroff seems to enjoy the experience every year at Lucas Oil Stadium, citing the fact that you get to see the best of the best making a case for their NFL potential. "There's so much you can glean from the Combine," said Dimitroff. "We don't necessarily drop or raise players a lot, but it's a supplement."

I don't think any team makes the Combine the most important piece to a prospect's overall resume. Game film and college performance trumps all, regardless of how fast your 40 time is. Sorry, Onterio McCalebb. We'll see what Dimitroff has to say as we get closer to April. Right now it's still anyone's guess as to which position the Falcons will address with the No. 30 overall selection.