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There is a very good chance Jake Matthews becomes a Falcon in 9 days. Not because he's the splash pick du jour. By most accounts, it'd just be a smart pick. And for what it's worth, Dave likes him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>If I were to put money down on a draft pick in the first round for the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Falcons&src=hash">#Falcons</a>, again, it would be Jake Matthews.</p>— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFalcoholic/statuses/459429907979067392">April 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
Not that Dave's endorsements always matter; he once did an ad for Kraft singles. Don't ask. But let's face facts: the Falcons badly need more consistency from their offensive line. Justin Blalock isn't a perennial Pro Bowler, but he's consistent. He's it. Aside from him, the Falcons' offensive line consists of a turnstile, a padlock, and a family-sized container of cottage cheese. What's more, Matthews would immediately fill a void at right tackle.
Matthews switched from right tackle to left tackle after teammate Luke Joeckel became the second overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2013 NFL draft.
So there's that. He's very familiar with the right side of the field. He's so familiar with it the Falcons could reasonably expect him to start from week 1. In time, he'd likely transition to protecting Matt Ryan's blind side.
Aside from his ability to step right in and contribute, Matthews is exactly the sort of player the Falcons covet. Not that Jadeveon Clowney isn't. But Matthews fits their desired profile in every way. Clowney doesn't. NFL pedigree, tape fanatic, willing to ask questions, extreme durability, hard worker - Matthews is literally everything they've ever asked for.
I hate to say it, but it appears Dave is onto something. Matthews just makes too much sense for the Falcons to whimsically chase after Clowney.