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While we’re in the midst of 2018 NFL Draft pre-hype, the Falcons look to be playing out a “Plan B” scenario should one position in the draft not go quite the way they hope.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Atlanta is one of a handful of teams to host recent workouts for veteran corner Will Blackmon.
Veteran DB Will Blackmon is making the rounds. Worked out recently for the Seahawks, Browns, Colts and Falcons. Surprised some folks with how spry he is, too. Likely to land with a team after the draft.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 23, 2018
Blackmon has been around the league since 2006, when he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. He’s made stops with the Giants, Seahawks (twice), Jaguars and most recently, with Washington. He was released from his last stop there in early September last season, which means he’s been out of football since 2017’s final roster cuts.
Though, he’s a veteran, which means he knows how to train and take care of his body. If this many teams are interested in Blackmon, that must mean, like Garafolo says, he’s bound to find a place back in the league.
He and Dan Quinn brushed shoulders briefly in Seattle, and at 6-feet, he’d fit the desire for Quinn to have tall corners in his group of pass defenders. The Falcons have a deep CB group at the moment (Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, Brian Poole, Justin Bethel, Damontae Kazee, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Leon McFadden, Deante Burton), but stand to add to the group one way or the other come draft weekend.
Could Blackmon be the team’s alternate route should the draft not go the way they hope at corner? It’s certainly possible. You can never have enough veteran depth on your roster, and if Atlanta feels that he’s got what it takes to play special teams and add depth, it’s not a bad plan. Methinks they’ll end up drafting a corner later in the draft, though, as it’s not very clear where Blackmon would even fit in.
Blackmon will be 34 this October, so even if he is added, look for it to be stopgap depth for 2018 and potentially 2019. He has played some free safety, too, so he could factor in for some depth there, as well, where the team is lacking.
We’ll see if Atlanta opts to add this veteran corner to their group.