Falcoholic Live mock draft 2.0 features trade down with Patriots

On Wednesday’s episode of The Falcoholic Live, the crew conducted our second live mock draft for the Falocns. Using the mock draft simulator over at The Draft Network, we took a swing at jointly selecting a class for Atlanta. As you might expect from a mock involving five people—including myself, Eric Robinson, Adnan Ikic, William McFadden, and Dave Choate—quickly devolved into some entertaining shenanigans.

As expected after San Francisco moved up to 3rd overall, quarterbacks went 1-2-3. With the 49ers selecting Trey Lance, the Falcons were left with a choice between Justin Fields, Kyle Pitts, Penei Sewell, or a bevy of trade offers from other QB-hungry teams.

You can find the full picks from the mock below, as well as the video from last night’s episode. The mock draft begins around 1:03:00, but you should also check out the beginning of the show for our in-depth interview with Falcons long snapper Josh Harris.

TRADE — Round 1, Pick 15: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State

Falcons trade pick 4 to the Patriots in exchange for picks 15, 46 (2nd), 96 (3rd), and a 2022 1st.

After considering offers from several teams—and acknowledging that the most likely outcome in this scenario is that the Falcons would simply take QB Justin Fields here at 4—we accepted an offer to trade down with New England. In exchange, the Falcons picked up a two Day 2 picks and a future 1st. At 15, we selected the best player remaining on the board: versatile Penn State LB Micah Parsons, who can play multiple spots in Dean Pees defenses.

Round 2, Pick 35: EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami

The Falcons still need a lot of help on the edge after the depth additions of Brandon Copeland and Barkevious Mingo. Rousseau’s somewhat lackluster athletic testing has caused him to fall down draft boards a bit, but this is still a player who had 15.5 sacks in 2019. He’s well worth the gamble in the second round because of his sky-high upside.

Round 2, Pick 46: G Wyatt Davis, Ohio State

Pick acquired from the Patriots.

The Falcons address one of the biggest holes on the roster with a premium talent in Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis. Davis’ 2020 season couldn’t quite match his elite performance in 2019, but he’s still one of the top guards in the class.

Round 3, Pick 68: RB Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis

With Mike Davis on the roster, the Falcons need a dynamic complement. Memphis’ Kenneth Gainwell has been rising up draft boards and has been in contact with Atlanta. The pick makes a lot of sense, as Gainwell would benefit from a rookie season as part of a committee before potentially taking over the backfield in 2022.

Round 3, Pick 96: S Andre Cisco, Syracuse

Pick acquired from the Patriots.

There were several quality safeties available at this point in the draft, but the crew couldn’t pass on the elite upside of Syracuse’s Andre Cisco. While Cisco is a big risk taker who needs to reign it in at the NFL level, he’s a truly special playmaker and ballhawk with tremendous range on the back end.

Round 4, Pick 108: CB Trill Williams, Syracuse

Even after the signing of Fabian Moreau, the Falcons need more talent at cornerback. Syracuse CB Trill Williams has experience lining up just about everywhere in the secondary and is a quality athlete.

TRADE — Round 4, Pick 121: QB Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

Falcons trade picks 148 (5th), 187 (6th), and 219 (6th) to the Raiders for pick 121.

With Atlanta passing on quarterback at the top, the team desperately needs someone to groom behind Matt Ryan. We executed a small trade-up to secure Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, an intriguing passer who has upside as high-end backup and possible spot-starter in the NFL.

Round 5, Pick 182: TE Tre’ McKitty, Georgia

The Falcons added a quality blocking tight end in Lee Smith, but they could still use depth at the position—particularly in an offense that’s likely to feature a lot of 12 personnel. Georgia’s Tre’ McKitty wasn’t fully utilized at the college level, but has a ton of upside as a receiver and is a serviceable blocker.

Round 5, Pick 183: WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois

With our final pick, we went pure BPA and added one of the most electric athletes in the draft: Illinois WR Josh Imatorbhebhe. Imatorbhebhe is an incredibly explosive WR with solid size and vertical receiving ability. He needs route-running development, but has sky-high potential and is a great value this late in the draft.