Falcons Work Out Clemson's Vic Beasley, Auburn's Nick Marshall

The Falcons have been widely expected to select defensive players early and often in the 2015 NFL draft. The team has a few spots along the offense that could use some improvement, but the team will likely invest heavily in young, defensive talent as they move on from Mike Nolan's "defense."

The team is sniffing around a player that is popularly mocked as high as 2nd overall. ESPN's Vaughn McClure had the update.

Clemson's Vic Beasley, one of the top edge rushers in this year's draft class, said he has a workout scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday at the school.

The Falcons desperately need someone who has an outside shot at sacking a quarterback. As that player does not seem to be on the roster, it would be an upset if the Falcons do not select a pass rusher with their first pick in the draft.

Beasley not only holds the Clemson sack record, but put up a dominant performance during the combine. If the Falcons are looking at selecting Beasley, they will likely have to move up in the draft. Now that the team has kept their entire 2015 draft class, and their first four picks in 2016, they have the opportunity to move up and select Beasley if he is indeed their top target.

Did the Falcons also workout a Matt Ryan replacement quarterback-turned-corner? You betcha, per NFL's Path to the Draft, the Falcons are looking into Auburn's Nick Marshall.

The Atlanta Falcons, just about 160 miles south of his hometown of Rochelle, Ga. -- and even closer than that to Auburn -- made their way to the AU campus over the weekend to further assess whether the former Tigers star can successfully make the tricky switch from quarterback to cornerback.

The half-hour workout was all field drills, with no board work, and the Tigers' former quarterback who is attempting to make an NFL roster as a cornerback felt good about the impression he made.

"It was all cornerback drills. They wanted to see me backpedal, and see if I could open my hips enough to cover the deep corner routes and post routes. It's all been about how you transition your hips," Marshall said.

If the Falcons take the Auburn CB/QB, they will display an institutional change in the type of players they select in the draft. Thomas Dimitroff has typically shied away from drafting the athletic players that need coaching and development. The last player they drafted that changed positions was wide receiver Kerry Meier way back in 2010.

Marshall has typical Dan Quinn size as a 6-foot-1, 207-pound corner with 4.54 40 speed. If he has the potential to develop, Quinn could do what he has had success with: turning high-risk players into Pro Bowlers.

Any opinions on the workouts?