Will the Falcons add a defensive tackle in the draft?

On paper, the Falcons are as strong at defensive tackle as they are anywhere else on the roster. That's what happens when you have Paul Soliai, Tyson Jackson, Grady Jarrett, Jonathan Babineaux, Ra'Shede Hageman, and Joey Mbu all available, giving you a deep position group with some upside.

They don't have any elite players there unless Hageman or Jarrett takes a big step forward, however, and there are some cracks here. Tyson Jackson could be cut, Paul Soliai probably won't play out his contract, and our beloved friend the U.S.S. Babineaux is probably only a couple of years away from either retiring or not being a huge part of the rotation. That means that only Hageman and Jarrett are guaranteed to be here a couple of years from now, and even Hageman is an uneasy fit if he doesn't turn into the kind of line-wrecking player I hope he can be.

For that reason, I'd suggest it's not outlandish to think the Falcons might draft a defensive tackle. I rejected that idea out of hand as recently as a month ago, but that was before I dove into the draft class a bit and understood just how deep the position is, and thought about the future for the Falcons. If they can get their hands on a potentially terrific DT in the third, fourth, or even seventh round, they might be wise to do so considering how rare classes with this kind of depth are. That player could be the third guy or even a starter as soon as 2017 if they land a good one, and the Falcons do need to think about just adding talent once they get further into the draft, regardless of whether the position is a true, current need or not.

Don't be surprised, is all I'm saying.