Falcons power rankings: ESPN gives Atlanta a mixed grade for the future

ESPN put on its collective prognosticatin' pants and ranked all 32 NFL teams according to how bright their futures are. For Atlanta, that was...not so bright.

From Louis Riddick via Vaughn McClure:

``The jury is technically still out when it comes to assessing the Falcons' 2014 draft class, but from where I sit, other than OT Jake Matthews, I don't see a lot of starting-caliber players coming out of this group. I said a year ago that the Falcons have been a poor drafting team overall since Dimitroff took over in 2008. How this team performs under Quinn will largely depend on the 2015 draft class injecting some play-making ability into a talent-depleted roster. Keep an eye on first-rounder Vic Beasley: He could be the most important draft pick Dimitroff has made since he selected Matt Ryan third overall in 2008.''

The Falcons are ranked #19, with the Saints coming in at #18 and the Panthers inside the top ten. The Buccaneers presumably are on some other list entirely.

To be candid, this is probably fair. I'm higher on the Falcons' future than this, but it's tough to deny there enough short term deals and real roster holes to give even the most rabid fan pause for the future, even with the hope that Dan Quinn and some of the new signings bring to bear. The only spot where Riddick is clearly wrong is in dismissing Ra'Shede Hageman and now Ricardo Allen out of hand, because both may be starters and Hageman clearly has the talent to warrant mention here. This ranking's really only going to change with results on the field, and we'll be hoping to see those from this team coming up in just a couple of months.

Where would you rank this team?