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Possessing a draft pick in the top 5 is actually somewhat rare for the Falcons. The last time it happened was in 2008 in the aftermath of the Michael Vick scandal and the Bobby Petrino disaster of 2007. Having a pick this high gives you a host of options, with the hope being that you won’t be here again for a long while.
In this series, we’ll take a look at all the different ways the Falcons can use this pick to rebuild under a new regime. Today, we consider the option of grabbing an offensive lineman.
Why it makes sense
The best teams in the league are almost always the ones that dominate in the trenches. While the Falcons offensive line appears to be a decent unit, grabbing the best offensive lineman in this class could go towards building a dominant unit for the future.
A player like Penei Sewell could start off in the inside next to Jake Matthews and eventually take over on the outside. Given that the Falcons have just hired an offensive minded head coach, the potential of giving him a dominant OL out of the gate could mean an immediate turn-around on the offensive side of the ball, allowing you to maximize Matt Ryan’s remaining time in Atlanta and plot a course that could yield an elite ground game.
Why it might be the wrong move
To be blunt, the Falcons don’t have a pressing need for another offensive tackle. Jake Matthews is solid on the left side and the team just invested a first round pick on the right side. It’s still too early to write off Kaleb McGary. This would also be the 3rd first round pick used on an offensive lineman in the last 3 draft classes, which sounds great in principle but it also means neglecting other areas of need. Does it really make sense to try and build a dominant OL when the defense could be a disaster in 2021 and beyond? This is an offense-first league and the Falcons could make the addition work, but in some ways it feels like a luxury selection for this team.
What do you think? Would you support another first round pick on an offensive lineman? Let us know in the comments below.