The Falcoholic Mailbag, linebackers edition

We had a few questions submitted via the site, so I'll start with those. Time2RiseUp asked, "If Darron Lee, Leonard Floyd and Noah Spence are all available at 17, who do we draft?"

I really think Darron Lee is a great fit for the direction Dan Quinn wants to take this defense. I know Floyd talked to Dan Quinn at Georgia's pro day and it sounds like the Falcons definitely have some interest there, but I like Lee better in terms of skill set and fit.

Raiyce1319 asked, "Jeanna, is there a chance we bring back Schofield to mentor our 1st round pick which will be a LB?"

I still think there is a chance the team will bring back Schofield. Quinn loves him personally and loves what he brings to the table in terms of leadership and talent.

Hudawar had a couple of questions, starting with this one. "No Spence, no Lawson at 17, trade down. Why not draft the best guard available and a tight end? Stop gap the defense and draft in 3rd round and down. I like Whitehair, Martin, or Kelly. TE Hooper, Henry, Vannet maybe two."

That is one option, however, the team has been stop gapping the defense for years, and at some point they have to actually invest in the defense if they want real improvement.

Hudawar's second question was, "Does KS dislike rookies? Best way to see KS leave is as a head coach In the AFC west, could be fun while he is here."

I don't know if Shanahan dislikes rookies, but he seemed fine with Tevin Coleman last year, so I don't think that's an issue. Justin Hardy's development took a little while so his lack of playing time had more to do with that than any Shanahan preference.

And Time2RiseUp had two more questions. First, "Despite the offense's obvious failure last year, do you expect to see some improvement this year?"

I do, primarily because a lot of those struggles were centered around Mike Person's performance. Adding Alex Mack instantly makes the offense more stable.

And the last question from Time2RiseUp, "Do you think Kyle S. and Matt will collaborate to create an offense that fits Kyle's run game, but also fits Matt's passing style? A hybrid offense?"

I sure hope so, because a lot of what we saw last year looked like round pegs trying to fit into square holes, and it clearly didn't work. I hope to see some more flexibility and willingness to adapt from Shanahan this season. Matt Ryan is the quarterback, period, and they have to figure out how to make the offense work with his skill set.