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Look, it's not a surprise that the Falcons are probably going to pick a pass rusher #8 overall. This is draft class with several consensus top 20 options, it is the most dire need for the Falcons and . But you can forgive us for harboring doubts, because we haven't seen a pass rusher drafted in the first round since Jamaal Anderson, and oh no flashbacks!
Add Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.comto a growing chorus of experts, analysts, fans and opinionated grocery store clerks who believe the Falcons are a lock for a pass rusher with the eighth overall pick. This is not a new or novel prediction, but I'm writing about it because for once it feels like the Falcons more or less have to go down the same path as the consensus opinion, and I think we would all be thrilled to see them do so.
This is the ideal class to want a pass rusher, as the Falcons should be choosing between at least two of Vic Beasley, Randy Gregory, Bud Dupree, Dante Fowler and Shane Ray by the time their pick rolls around. Not all—or even any—or these guys are slam dunks, but every one of them has legitimate talent and could be an upgrade for arguably the league's most anemic pass rush. I'd be stunned if the Falcons passed up one of the aforementioned players, and it would take a truly bizarre series of events early in the draft to keep them from getting their mitts on one.
Who's your preferred pick?