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The Falcons gave their entire fanbase pause Thursday night standing pat at 16 and drafting their plan B cornerback. It’s not that AJ Terrell doesn’t have the potential to be a true CB1 and anchor the Falcons secondary for the next half a decade. It’s just that the end result was considerably less interesting than the 1st round we were promised.
Day 2 was a different story. In the 2nd and 3rd rounds, the Falcons added a dynamic, versatile defensive lineman in Marlon Davidson and their center of the future in Matt Hennessy. Both men will have a chance to earn substantial playing time in 2020, Davidson as a rotational player and Hennessy if can manage to beat out Jamon Brown and Matt Gono for the left guard job.
But what about the rest of the NFL? What shenanigans did they get into Friday night? Well, the Eagles decided it was a good idea to draft Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round. By the end of the 2nd round, 13 wide receivers had been drafted, a new record. And the Bears felt the need to draft a tight end, leaving just 10 on their roster.
If there’s one thing that might strike you as odd about the Falcons’ draft approach so far, it’s their willingness to live with the picks they have. We know they made some effort to trade up Thursday night in pursuit of CJ Henderson and that didn’t pan out. But Tradin’ Thomas Dimitroff has yet to make an appearance. That’s ... unexpected.
So did the Falcons have a successful Day 2? Yes, I would say they did. Their draft so far is nothing but solid. It’s not a “home run.” “Spectacular” would be a slight exaggeration. It’s been solid. Just solid. Unlike their approach to free agency, their draft strategy has been quite measured, and careful. It almost makes it seem like they have a plan and they’re executing said plan. Gasp as you see fit.
Your thoughts about the draft so far?