Mock Draft v1



1. Brian Brohm QB Louisville

I've gone back and forth with this for a while now. But I'm beginning to believe that Brohm is the answer. Ryan is fairly close competition for this pick, in my book.

2a. Barry Richardson OT Clemson

Certainly a no-brainer with Gandy probably being gone, and Richardson is a worthy pick if he's available. I anticipate a lot of teams picking OT in the 1st this year.

2b. (From Houston) Jonathan Goff ILB Vanderbilt

Goff is a well-rounded, pure MLB. This is a kid that doubled his tackles every year he's played in college, and is showing tremendous NFL potential. The Falcons would be lucky to select this guy in the 2nd round. I hope he's available.

3a. BJ Raji DT Boston College

Great NT prospect. Would fill the hole nicely should Grady retire in the offseason. If he's not there at this pick, I would go with Dre Moore out of Maryland.

3b. Trae Williams CB South Florida

CB is a position I anticipate to be a real need. I don't think DeAngelo Hall will be able to be talked into staying in Atlanta. For that reason, this is a solid pick. Williams has the intangibles, and he's a leader on that defense this year.

4. Doug Legursky C Marshall

The Falcons need a backup plan for McClure. I'm not a McClure fan at all. But I hear the coaching staff is. Anyway, Legursky is quietly going about his business this year, and I anticipate him to move up the big board. But if he stays where he's currently projected, this would be a steal in my book.

5. Tony Joiner S Florida

Tough, aggressive, physical, ball hawk... need I say more? We need all those types of players we can round up.

6. Lynell Hamilton RB San Diego St.

Big power back. Good motor, and runs downhill. Living in Southern Cal, I've seen the guy play a couple of times. He's solid.

7. Jason Shirley DT Fresno St.

One word... monster. He's a project, but he's huge and fast. Would love to see him spread his wings and flourish in Atlanta. Wishful thinking, I'm sure.



Roster Moves




DeAngelo Hall departs via FA
Chris Crocker departs via FA
Demorrio Williams departs via FA

Wayne Gandy retires
Grady Jackson retires

Chris Redman is released
Morten Anderson is released
Joe Horn is released
Warrick Dunn is relegated to backup, possibly released




Free Agency Possibilities/Wishlist



OT

Max Starks
Sean Locklear

OG

Alan Faneca
Ruben Brown
Ryan Lilja
Jake Scott
Floyd Womack

RB

Michael Turner
Chris Brown

PK

David Akers
Rob Bironas
Josh Brown
Jason Elam
Nick Setta
Lawrence Tynes

WR

Bernard Berrian
Drew Carter
Keary Colbert
Troy Brown
Patrick Crayton

Ok, now realisticly I'm not sure how much cap space the Falcons will have. Maybe not enough to do anything. That would totally suck. But assuming they somehow are awarded the 20 mil in cap space I would want these guys:

Starks OT
Turner RB
Brown PK
Scott OG

I'm probably dreaming that they could get all four.


Depth Chart

RT- Weiner, Ojinnaka
RG- Forney, Clabo
C- McClure, Legursky
LG- Scott, Blalock
LT- Starks, Richardson

Ojinnaka and Clabo would be the odd men out when cuts come around, depending on how many they decide to keep.

RB- Turner, Norwood, Dunn, Hamilton
FB- Mughelli,

QB- Brohm, Harrington, Leftwich

WR X- White, Robinson (Robinson could move over and start at Z, and Jennings could back up at X)
WR Z- Jenkins, Finneran, Jennings

P- Michael Koenen
PK- Josh Brown

DE- Abraham, Davis
NT- Lewis, Raji, Shirley
UT- Coleman, Babineaux,
DE- Anderson, Davis, Babineax

WLB- Nicholas, Brooking
ILB- Goff, Taylor
SLB- Boley, Wilkins

RCB- Houston, Sanders
LCB- Irons, Williams (This depends on how quickly Trae comes along)

SS- Milloy, Stone
FS- Williams, Joiner

It's a pretty good mock, but DeAngelo has a year left on his contract. I completely agree that he probably leaves after that though.

SoCal, you've put a lot work into your mock draft, and it's very intriguing, but if we keep going like we are, we're going to have the No 1 overall pick...and we'd be idiots to take Brohm No 1 overall, when we can ransom pick that for additional picks, and only have to slide back to No 4 or 5 overall to do so...here's something I put together in a previous thread...

We have to fix this OLine. There isn't even a need for a discussion on how good Norwood is, or who should start between Harrington, Leftwich, or Rdonham's mailman, without first providing adequate protection up front. Problem is, if we continue playing as badly as we did yesterday, than we're going to have the No 1 pick overall...and with that pick, you don't take Jake Long, OT GOD from Michigan...mostly because either the franchise RB or franchise QB is right there staring at you...if we are drafting in the top spot, than I say trade back to 4 or 5, pick up 3 or 4 extra picks, including a No 1 pick in 2009 and an additional 2nd rd pick in 2008, and then take Long there. That gives us a franchise LT. From there, we'll still have 3 2nd rd picks. We can package 2 of them, move back into the 1st round and take our franchise QB later in that round. Erik Ainge, Nate Longshore (if he declares), Chase Daniel (if he declares), Colt Brennan, Chad Henne, and John David Booty, should all be available at the bottom of the 1st round. Then we can come back with our last 2nd round pick and select either Jordan Grimes, OG from Purdue or Alex Mack, Center from Cal. That gives us 2 upgrades on the Oline, our franchise QB, and we'll still have a 3rd rd pick to draft our replacement for Grady at NT...Jason Shirley from Fresno State. He goes 6'5" 340 lbs, and he's been clocked at 4.98 in the 40...mountains aren't supposed to move that fast...

Now if all of this were to happen, that would possibly be the greatest Day 1 in franchise history. 3 or 4 immediate starters that could seriously upgrade our roster in a hurry. Our Oline could suddenly look like Jake Long, Blalock, Datish, Jordan Grimes, and Todd Weiner. We'd have 4 guys weighing in at 320 or more on the line, and all of them would be quick and athletic. If we decided to keep Forney, and replace the Center, than Alex Mack from Cal would be there in the 2nd instead of Grimes...he's just as big, just as quick, and just as great at Center, as Grimes is at Guard. Either way, it's a huge upgrade on the OLine.


I realize that we're not getting the HUGE name player at QB like Brohm, Woodsen, or Ryan, but that's not what we need...we need a QB that can think on the fly, adapt to different situations, and play behind a very green, but steadily improving OLine (I'm being optimistic that we'll take at least 2 key upgrades to the OLine in the first 2 rounds next year). Of the top 3 QBs, the only 2 with those attributes are Woodsen and Ryan...Brohm is a system QB, and YES, we are using Petrino's system, but not the identical system he had at Louisville. We need a throwback QB, not one that wants to rear back and sling the ball blindly, when he feels pressure, and we need a guy that used to making plays without a lot around him to work with...that reduces the top 3 QBs down to Matt Ryan...him and Erik Ainge are honestly, the best 2 QBs in college right now, when it comes to working without a plethora of offensive weapons. Ryan will be gone in the top 10...Ainge should be there still around the mid to late 20s, because he doesn't have the WOW numbers.

Besides Ainge, we'd be looking at someone like Nate Longshore, Chad Henne, Chase Daniels, John David Booty, and Colt Brennan as likely QBs at the bottom of the 1st to top of the 2nd...now Longshore is a Tedford QB, and those guys haven't adapted well to the NFL...we currently have one our team now in Harrington. Henne is solid QB with a strong arm, and he's proven he can adapt to changing enviroments. He's also got very good leadership skills. Booty is very talented, but he's used to working with lots of talent, so I'm not sure how he'll adapt, but the early book on him is he's ever bit as good as Carson Palmer, which is why I think we'd have to consider him. Colt Brennan is a gunslinger...he's got a strong arm as evidenced by his throwing the ball 70 times in his last game for 500+ yards. Yes, he's a system QB, but he's got an interesting background before he got to Hawaii and the run and shoot...he's played in a couple of different systems in his college career, and succeeded at all of them. His technique is also quite sound, and he's a fighter. Last is Chase Daniels out of Missouri...he's got a strong arm and he's fast. He can scramble, buy time, and he loves to look downfield...problem is, he's going to draw a lot of Vick comparisons given his strengths and his 6 foot frame. Difference is, he's coachable...of course he and Longshore would have to declare...so who knows.

That's all I'm speculating for now...since it all depends on having the No 1 overall pick anyways...of course, with the way we're currently blocking up front...I'm not saying, but I'm just saying... 678hnn77

Nice reply, man. ;) Where to start...

Ok, I hear what you're saying. But I just don't think the Falcons will have the #1 overall. But, this was my first shot at it, and I will work up subsequent versions of it throughout the year.
I would not want to take Brohm #1 overall either. and having that pick would drastically improve our draft... drastically. I would want to trade down, as you mentioned and grab some additional picks. That would usually be my tendancy unless there is just a guy up there that is a "can't miss". Having said that, I would LOVE to pick up any of the four of these guys... Jake Long, Glen Dorsey, Kenny Phillips, Darren McFadden. We have a need at each of those positions. And I will explore those options in my next mock.

It's been brought to my attention that I brain-farted with my Legursky selection because I totally forgot we still have Doug Datish on IR. Duh! Haha! So I'll amend that pick. I like Datish and I think he has tremendous upside.

As far as Jason Shirley is concerned, he is a monster of a man with some great measurables! But I think he's more of a project at the position at this level and I don't expect him to go that early. Of course, I've been wrong plenty of times so it'll be interesting to watch his stock throughout the year.

I'm glad to see you didn't scrap Weiner from the OL. He's under-appreciated throughout our fanbase, in my opinion. I was absolutely shocked to see him shut down Julius Peppers in Week 3. He totally showed me something that game. And I think the coaches had to take notice as well. McClure, I can totally do without. While I believe he's a good locker room guy, and a leader on the field, with a great mind for the game... he's just a liability against the blitz. He has always been. Maybe he would do good for one more year getting Datish ready to go, and then step back to a back up role? Forney has been the best OL for us for a while. But buddy has stepped way back this year in my eyes. I don't know if the injury just worked his mind over or what, but... yeah, not good. I would totally freak out to get Jake Scott here from Indy.

I appreciate the time you took to talk about this. I love the draft, and this team is forcing my hand to look to the future. Haha! Talk again soon.

No sweat SoCal...I, too, love the NFL draft...so anytime we get to talk about it, the more stoked I am...I look forward to reading your more your thoughts on the draft...BTW, keep one thing in mind when you're thinking about QB selections for us...we've an interesting history when it's come to qbs in our franchise history, and many of them have been high picks...

1. Steve Bartkowski was No 1 overall.
2. Mike Vick was No 1 overall.
3. Jeff George was No 1 overall.
4. Chris Miller was No 13 overall.
5. Joey Harrington was No 3 overall.
6. Byron Leftwich was No 7 overall.

and these are just a few of our QBs throughout our history...now obviously all of these guys have had varying degrees of success, and a few of them hold very dear places in most fans hearts...but none of them has been the guy to get us the promise land...the only QB to ever get us to the Super Bowl was Chris Chandler...who was then 76th pick overall... a journeyman 3rd round pick, in his 2nd season as our QB behind a questionable OLine with 2 very good WRs, an overrated RB in the midst of a career year, and a defense that would bend, but wouldn't break.

And arguably, the 2nd most impacting QB in our franchise history, was a 2nd round pick out of Southern Mississippi...Brett Favre...and his impact has never been forgotten in our franchise's history...he's the one that most experts say we shouldn't have traded.

My point...Odin only knows what you can get in the NFL draft...and just because someone has huge stock and star potential, doesn't make him the best fit for a team...sometimes it isn't the 1st round media darling, but the slighted, disgruntled, blue collar guy, who's got a chip on his shoulder that you need. Our OLine is going to be a reclaimation project for another year or two, before we get it right...who would you rather have? A fancy passer that relies on timing and intricate plays to do well, or a tough as nails, SOB, who refuses to let the other team win without a fight... ;)