ESPN’s Mel Kiper, frequently referred to by the Falcoholic staff as “the one with the hair,” released his much anticipated 3rd mock draft. It is fun to see what prospects are up, which ones are down, and which ones end up with the Falcons.
Kiper’s first iteration had the Falcons taking the athletic but misused Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Great! Atlanta could use more push up the middle and it would be tough to pass on a player of his talent.
Kiper’s second iteration had the Falcons taking the athletic but misused Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Great! Atlanta could use more push up the middle and it would be tough to pass on a player of his talent.
Kiper’s third and latest iteration had the Falcons taking the athletic but misused Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Great! Atlanta could use more push up the middle and it would be tough to pass on a player of his talent.
He sure isn’t giving Atlanta fans much to work with. Kiper likes adding Oliver next to Grady Jarrett, especially now that his measurables from the draft confirm he is not worryingly undersized. He believes Oliver could play snaps at the edge, giving Dan Quinn that versatile Adrian Clayborn/Michael Bennett type that could give offenses trouble.
The Falcons are almost certainly planning to take a defensive lineman in round one, but at spot 14 miss out on pass rushers Montez Sweat and Rashan Gary according to the mock, heading to Detroit and Buffalo.
If Thomas Dimitroff is thinking of trading up (and he is certainly always thinking about trading up), Dimitroff should call up good friend and former Falcons front office director of college scouting David Caldwell. The Jaguars GM could help Atlanta jump over Detroit and Buffalo at pick 7, giving Atlanta their pick of the best defensive lineman after top picks Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, and Quinnen Williams.