Twitter re-drafts the NFL, Round 3: Falcons select WR Keenan Allen

We’re in the depths of the offseason with an uncertain training camp future ahead of us. So, naturally, we’re all looking for interesting things to do to fill the void. You might recall ESPN’s NFL re-draft, in which beat reporters for every team restarted every franchise from scratch with 4 rounds of drafting. Myself—and apparently many others—found that exercise a little lacking, so we’re starting up our own re-draft of the NFL.

Dan Kadar, formerly of SB Nation’s Mocking the Draft, is leading the effort, along with fans and analysts of each team. We’re aiming for 6 rounds, but if possible I’m angling to go further. The goal: build the best team possible with your selections. The salary cap obviously isn’t in play because we’re only planning for 6 rounds, and there are no other rules about who may be drafted. The draft order is based on the 2020 NFL Draft, and will be a fantasy-style “Snake” draft.

I’ll be recapping each round as it finishes, including a detailed breakdown of the player I’ve chosen for the Falcons and why that player makes sense.

Without further adieu, here’s Round 3 and my choice for Atlanta at pick 80.

Round 3, Pick 80: WR Keenan Allen

The re-drafted Falcons have QB Ryan Tannehill and TE Travis Kelce, which is a good start for a strong offense. At pick 80, I was hoping to have DT Fletcher Cox fall to me, but he went just before my selection to the Broncos. There are a few positions I was considering here—including CB, OT, and EDGE—but ultimately I decided to go all-in on a dominant offense by selecting WR Keenan Allen.

Allen is one the last true top-10 WRs left on the board, and pairing him with arguably the league’s best TE in Travis Kelce would give the Falcons an elite receiving tandem to build around on offense. Allen has been a model of consistency on one of the most volatile teams in the NFL, putting up an average of 1263 yards and 6 TDs over the past three seasons. Allen will also be just 28 in 2020, meaning he’s still got another 3-4 years of high-level play before any sort of decline begins.

While Allen has never managed to produce like a true star WR in Julio Jones, he’s clearly in the next tier of very good WR1s. He’ll also benefit from playing in an offense that has a dynamic threat at TE and a QB who can threaten all areas of the field with his arm and his legs.

Round 3 Results

Pick 65 - Cincinnati Bengals (@CoachMinich): CB Marlon Humphrey (CB5) | R1: QB Patrick Mahomes (QB1), R2: OT La’el Collins (OT7)

Pick 66 - Washington (@bmealy17): S Jamal Adams (S1) | R1: QB Lamar Jackson (QB2), R2: RB Ezekiel Elliott (RB3)

Pick 67 - Detroit Lions (@adam_benmoche): S Minkah Fitzpatrick (S2) | R1: QB Russell Wilson (QB3), R2: EDGE Von Miller (EDGE12)

Pick 68 - New York Giants (@geoffschwartz): EDGE Cameron Jordan (EDGE13) | R1: QB Deshaun Watson (QB4), R2: OT Trent Williams (OT6)

Pick 69 - Miami Dolphins (@houtz): S Derwin James (S3) | R1: QB Kyler Murray (QB5), R2: RB Saquon Barkley (RB2)

Pick 70 - Los Angeles Chargers (@rjroepke): OT Tyron Smith (OT7) | R1: QB Dak Prescott (QB6), R2: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (WR9)

Pick 71 - Carolina Panthers (@DakeZekee214): EDGE Demarcus Lawrence (EDGE14) | R1: QB Carson Wentz (QB7), R2: WR Amari Cooper (WR8)

Pick 72 - Arizona Cardinals (@blakemurphy7): CB Jeff Okudah (CB6) | R1: QB Aaron Rodgers (QB8), R2: LB Bobby Wagner (LB1)

Pick 73 - Jacksonville Jaguars (@ZachCohenFB): DT DeForest Buckner (DT4) | R1: QB Drew Brees (QB9), R2: OT Mitchell Schwartz (OT5)

Pick 74 - Cleveland Browns (@davy_d): DT Arik Armstead (DT5) | R1: QB Baker Mayfield (QB10), R2: DT Grady Jarrett (DT3)

Pick 75 - New York Jets (@justRVB): OT Laremy Tunsil (OT8) | R1: QB Tua Tagovailoa (QB11), R2: EDGE Yannick Ngakoue (EDGE11)

Pick 76 - Las Vegas Raiders (@cincinasty_): CB Denzel Ward (CB7) | R1: QB Joe Burrow (QB12), R2: CB Jaire Alexander (CB4)

Pick 77 - Indianapolis Colts (@ZachHicks2): WR Courtland Sutton (WR10) | R1: QB Matthew Stafford (QB13), R2: EDGE Chandler Jones (EDGE10)

Pick 78 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Andy_J_Nichols): TE Zach Ertz (TE3) | R1: QB Matt Ryan (QB14), R2: WR Davante Adams (WR7)

Pick 79 - Denver Broncos (@DraftGowan13): DT Fletcher Cox (DT6) | R1: QB Tom Brady (QB15), R2: WR Chris Godwin (WR6)

Pick 80 - Atlanta Falcons (@FalcoholicKevin): WR Keenan Allen (WR11) | R1: QB Ryan Tannehill (QB16), R2: TE Travis Kelce (TE2)

Pick 81 - Dallas Cowboys (@NBarlotta_DSN): WR Jarvis Landry (WR12) | R1: DT Aaron Donald (DT1), R2: QB Sam Darnold (QB20)

Pick 82 - Pittsburgh Steelers (@ChrisTrapasso): WR A.J. Brown (WR13) | R1: QB Josh Allen (QB17), R2: DT Chris Jones (DT2)

Pick 83 - Chicago Bears (@wiltfongjr): OT Lane Johnson (OT9) | R1: QB Kirk Cousins (QB18), R2: EDGE Josh Allen (EDGE9)

Pick 84 - Los Angeles Rams (@3k_): LB Darius Leonard (LB2) | R1: OT David Bahktiari (OT1), R2: QB Jared Goff (QB19)

Pick 85 - Philadelphia Eagles (@ByADiBona): QB Daniel Jones (QB21) | R1: EDGE Nick Bosa (EDGE1), R2: CB Tre’Davious White (CB3)

Pick 86 - Buffalo Bills (@GbridgfordNFL): CB Marcus Peters (CB8) | R1: EDGE Myles Garrett (EDGE2), R2: OG Zack Martin (OG2)

Pick 87 - New England Patriots (@Henry_Primack): QB Jimmy Garoppolo (QB22) | R1: OT Ronnie Stanley (OT2), R2: EDGE Danielle Hunter (EDGE8)

Pick 88 - New Orleans Saints (@DynastyPigskin5): QB Justin Herbert (QB23) | R1: EDGE Joey Bosa (EDGE3), R2: CB Jalen Ramsey (CB2)

Pick 89 - Minnesota Vikings (@AndyHort1): CB Josh Kalu (CB9) | R1: OG Quenton Nelson (OG1), R2: EDGE Za’Darius Smith (EDGE7)

Pick 90 - Houston Texans (@BrettKollmann): EDGE Bradley Chubb (EDGE15) | R1: QB Drew Lock (QB19), R2: WR Mike Evans (WR5)

Pick 91 - Seattle Seahawks (@BennettPrag): DT Kenny Clark (DT7) | R1: OT Ryan Ramczyk (OT3), R2: EDGE Chase Young (EDGE6)

Pick 92 - Baltimore Ravens (@NateNFL): QB Gardner Minshew (QB24) | R1: WR DeAndre Hopkins (WR1), R2: EDGE T.J. Watt (EDGE5)

Pick 93 - Tennessee Titans (@_JL56): CB Marshon Lattimore (CB9) | R1: EDGE Khalil Mack (EDGE4), R2: WR Julio Jones (WR4)

Pick 94 - Green Bay Packers (@RossUglem): EDGE Shaq Barrett (EDGE16) | R1: CB Stephon Gilmore (CB1), R2: OT Terron Armstead (OT4)

Pick 95 - San Francisco 49ers (@beardedCameron): S Tyrann Mathieu (S4) | R1: TE George Kittle (TE1), R2: RB Christian McCaffrey (RB1)

Pick 96 - Kansas City Chiefs (@Bambam8109): CB Xavien Howard (CB10) | R1: WR Tyreek Hill (WR2), R2: WR Michael Thomas (WR3)

After an offense-dominated first two rounds, defensive players were the most frequent target in Round 3 with 20 selections to just 12 for offense. CB led the way with 7 selections (compared to only 3 in the previous 2 rounds combined), with EDGE, S, and DT close behind at 4 each. WR and QB also clocked in with 4 selections, with 24 teams now in possession of their QBs. OT was next with 3 selections, followed by TE and LB with 1 selection each.

Offense still dominates the selections overall. 17 teams selected 2 offensive players and 1 defensive player, followed by 12 teams with 2 defensive players and 1 offensive player. 3 teams selected 3 offensive players and 0 defensive players. That makes 55 total offensive picks to 41 total defensive picks. This makes sense considering the offense-heavy landscape of the modern NFL.

In the current debate of “pass rush vs. coverage”, pass rush seems to be winning based on this mock draft. There have been 23 pass rushers taken (EDGE + DT) compared to just 14 secondary players (CB + S), and LB has lagged behind considerably with just 2 selections in 3 rounds. On offense, QB obviously dominates with 24 selections, followed by WR with 13 and OT with 9. TE and RB are tied with 3 selections each.

What are your thoughts on the third round of Twitter’s re-draft of the entire NFL? Are you happy with the Falcons pick at 80? Who would you like to see Atlanta target in Round 4, and how would you build your team in a scenario like this? Do you have any favorite teams based on who has been drafted so far?