Falcons could land No. 2 pick in NFL draft

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/24/07

In this most unusual of seasons, the Falcons can pull off a major victory with one final loss Sunday against Seattle: the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.

A Falcons loss coupled with victories by St. Louis and the New York Jets will land them that second pick.

Arizona kicker Neil Rackers' 31-yard field goal Sunday in overtime defeated the Falcons 30-27 and kept Atlanta in the hunt for the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.

The 1-14 Dolphins wrapped up the No. 1 pick with their 28-7 loss to the Patriots.

Atlanta (3-12) is tied with St. Louis and the New York Jets for the second-worst record in the league.

The easiest way for the Falcons to win the No. 2 pick is to lose to Seattle and have the Jets beat the Chiefs and the Rams beat the Cardinals.

If the Falcons and Rams finish tied at 3-13, the Rams are in position to beat the Falcons for the No. 2 pick because of a weaker strength of schedule through Sunday's games. If the Falcons and the Jets finished tied at 3-13, the Jets likely would get the No. 2 pick because the first tie-breaker is strength of schedule, and New York, through Week 15, has the weaker strength of schedule.

If all three teams lose and finish at 3-13, the strength of schedule tie-breaker also is used. The team with the weakest strength of schedule gets the No. 2 pick.

Heading into the final week, the Rams are leading in this category. The Falcons' opponents have a .542 winning percentage (128-108), to the Jets' .527 (127-114) and the Rams' .514 (125-118).

The "bad" news: should the Falcons beat Seattle, they could fall as far back as seventh in the draft, depending on the tie-breakers with the other current four-win teams: Oakland, Kansas City and Baltimore.

The No. 2 pick last season was Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson; Minnesota used the seventh pick to select running back Adrian Peterson, who's the likely rookie of the year.

ESPN draft analyst Mile Kiper Jr. has Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long rated as the No. 2 player in the draft and North Carolina defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer rated seventh. Kiper has not added the junior eligibles to his big board, which would change things drastically if Arkansas running back Darren McFadden declares for the draft as expected.

Go Seahawks, Jets and Rams.

The Falcons need that 2nd pick for Matt Ryan or Darren McFadden.