Will the Falcons draft a pass rusher? Lots of folks think so
Justin Houston of UGA lines up as a defensive end. Hmmm. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Lots of places claim to be Draft Central. Today we come to you from Mock Draft Central, the place where everyone guesses as to what NFL teams will do. My longstanding guess has been that the Falcons will draft a pass rusher of some sort, be he a defensive end (more likely) or an outside linebacker (less likely). I’m encouraged that a majority of draft-watchers agree with me.
Of 12 mock drafts surveyed from the Big Six online sites — ESPN, SI.com, CBSsports, Sporting News, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com — eight foresee the Falcons taking a defensive end in Round 1. (Although NFL.com, for reasons unclear, lists Cameron Heyward of Ohio State as a defensive tackle. But he seems a DE to me and to most everybody else.)
Five of those eight mocks have the Falcons taking Adrian Clayborn of Iowa, which is about as close to a consensus as you’re apt to get when a team picks 27th. Of the three mocks that have the Falcons taking a DE other than Clayborn, two project him to be gone by the time the Falcons select.
Mocks that have the Falcons picking Clayborn include: Mel Kiper of ESPN (link requires registration); Don Banks of SI.com; Rob Rang of CBSsports; Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, and Pro Football Weekly (as done for Yahoo! Sports).
Mocks that have the Falcons picking a DE with Clayborn off the board: Todd McShay of ESPN (link requires registration) goes with Brooks Reed of Arizona, projecting Clayborn to New Orleans three picks earlier, and esteemed former colleague Steve Wyche of NFL.com goes with Heyward, having projected Clayborn to Tampa Bay with the 20th pick.
The one mock that has the Falcons picking a DE with Clayborn available: Pat Kirwan of NFL.com, who likewise goes with Heyward.
The four mocks that have the Falcons addressing a different position: Chad Reuter of CBSsports, who projects offensive tackle Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin; Charles Davis of NFL.com, who projects defensive back Aaron Williams of Texas; Brian Baldinger of NFL.com, who projects tight end Kyle Rudolph of Notre Dame, and Pro Football War Room for Sporting News, which projects cornerback Ras-I Dowling of Virginia.
Loading ...Not one of the 12 mocks has the Falcons taking a man of local interest: Justin Houston, the Georgia outside linebacker. (Although five project him as a first-rounder, with three of those leaving him available at No. 27.) I’d thought a while back that Houston might be a fit here, but now I think he’s more apt to land with a 3-4 team.
Having drafted Sean Weatherspoon, an outside linebacker, in Round 1 last season, the Falcons probably won’t take another so soon. (At least not this high.) Having spent big on Dunta Robinson in March 2010, they probably won’t take a cornerback in Round 1, either. And I know they want to bolster their offensive line for the years ahead and find the eventual heir to Tony Gonzalez at tight end, but I don’t think those are necessarily first-round priorities.
The Falcons won 13 games last season but showed a clear need for a better pass rush. This is one of those times the mocks might have it right: DE is so obvious a way to go that it’s almost the only way to go.
By Mark Bradley
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84 comments Add your comment
Will
April 20th, 2011
3:04 pm
If we can’t get Smith, Kerrigan, or Houstin, I’m leaning toward an O-Lineman at 27. Then either the “explosive” offensive threat (Cobb, Jernnigan, Young, etc.) or a developmental DE (Acho, Sheard, Romeus, etc.) in round 2 and 3.
MaxxFalcon
April 20th, 2011
3:05 pm
Justin Houston has to be the pick if he’s there
Will
April 20th, 2011
3:08 pm
Not having pre-draft free agency sucks…
juvenal
April 20th, 2011
3:19 pm
& Will, hybrid DE/OLB may help at Witherspoons spot, know he was hurt but really has not shown much so far…
Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!
April 20th, 2011
3:38 pm
Justin Houston has gotten better the last three years. Great character. Now he is 30 lbs stronger and faster. I hope we get this guy before he falls to another team. Clay Matthews all over again…
Ken Herrock
April 20th, 2011
4:14 pm
The last three first round picks have gotten hurt (Baker) and have been slow to rebound. Odds favor trading out of the first round.
hbcuclassics
April 20th, 2011
5:00 pm
2011 Falcons Easy Button 3.0
1.27 Jimmy Smith, CB, 6′2, 211, Colorado – “elite” corner fills need; sophomoric behavior non-cancerous, Owens questionable, Williams out. Secondary suspect.
2.59 Bruce Carter, OLB, 6′2, 243, UNC – “elite” linebacker is Top 10 talent but for ACL. Like Moore/Jerry put on IR/rehab for a year; and reap Pro Bowl reward later.
3.91 Greg Little, WR, 6′3, 231, UNC – stud receiver with hands, strength, speed, agility. Makes big plays and acrobatic catches, bench pressed 225/27x; NCAA suspension irrelevant.
4.124 Jordan Cameron, TE, 6′5, 254, USC – long, athletic former WR and hoopster.
5.158 Johnny Culbreath, OT, 6′5, 285, SC State – AP/FCS All-American, 3xMEAC Champ; best lineman in HBCU football – think Larry Little.
6.192 Frank Warren, RB, 5′11, 195, Grambling – AP/FCS All American, “Sweet Feet” broke Walter Payton’s All-time SWAC rushing record w 1,592 yds in 2010; 3rd in NCAA rushing.
7.209 Raymond Webber, WR, 6′2, 215, UAPB – AP/FCS All-American, led NCAA w/ 101 rec. 1,429 yds.; 10TDS, 130 ypg avg. think Jerry Rice. Coach: Monte Coleman.
7.228 Ricardo Lockette, WR/KR, 6′3, 199, FVSU – 2009 DII 200M Champ, 4.39/40
7.229 Matthew Johnson, QB, 5′11, 185 Bethune – 2010 HBCU POY, 2010 MEAC POY
hbcuclassics.com
Dawgman
April 20th, 2011
5:06 pm
The Falcons draft Justin Houston? Never happen. The Falcons have a 40 yr history of bypassing Georgia Bulldog players for lesser prospects. The list is lengthy and includes names like Steve Broussard over Rodney Hampton who the Giants took immediately after the Falcons, Hampton had a great All Pro career, Broussard spent many a game either fumbling, or watching from the sideline; Jammi German over Hines Ward, and on and on. It’s a Falcons tradition “don’t take a Georgia Bulldog player, unless it’s 5th round or free agent”. What will be interesting to see is if the Falcons do pass on Justin Houston how his career stacks up against the player the Falcons pick.
Paddy O
April 20th, 2011
5:47 pm
Don’t see Clayborn – would be OK with JJ Watt or Kerrigan and Houston. But, if Castonzo were available, he would be a great pick. To line up with out other needs, I am actually leaning toward thew WR from Miami, Hankerson. Although, we do need a NCB and a LB – with Nichols probably gone and Peterson showing some age.
Paddy O
April 20th, 2011
5:48 pm
hb – like your first 4 and the Lockette selection. Barely a week to go.
The Thin White Duke
April 20th, 2011
5:50 pm
Do the Falcons take Mark Ingram if he’s still available? Would be tempting.
Josh
April 20th, 2011
6:18 pm
Yes DE No to Clayborn. His eps palsy will not let him suceed at this level Justin Houston is a stud and can put his hand on the ground in the 4-3. Although i really feel we should trade down and collect picks as the draft is deep this year in the positions we need DE, OT, and speedy/tallWR (yes this means we pass on Jernigan too he’s a little fella. If we stay where we are I hope it goes 1st Justin Houston, 2nd Randall Cobb 3rd Casey Mathew, 4th Virgil Geen, 5th Byron Bell, 6th Darvon Adams and with 3 picks in 7th Josh Thomas, Pierre Allan and Garrett Chisholm. If we move down this is out the window.
steven A.
April 20th, 2011
8:33 pm
No stud defensive players will be available when FALCONS pick at 27.
If Jimmy Smith is not available at pick 27 Falcons should draft the following:(1st 4 picks all offense
people)
1, Leonard Hankerson, WR
2. Greg Little, WR
3. Julius Thomas/Virgil Green, TE
4. kendall Hunter, RB
5. Best available dl/cb
6. Best available cb/dl
TD has no clue!
April 21st, 2011
9:41 am
TD will screw it up again. Peria Jerry over Clay Matthews. Nuff said.
colelinski
April 21st, 2011
10:12 am
We sure are blessed with a great bunch of talent judges, they need to apply for jobs with the Falcons.
Mr Blank check this blog for experts. They’ll work for free.
Terrell
April 21st, 2011
11:10 am
Larry
You are so right, we are just to dumb to see that most DEs take about 3 years before you really see any production. We’re dumb because it’s so obvious that a 22-23 year old rookie playing at a position that outside of QB has the hardest learning curve will make this team Super Bowl bound. That’s ok, while you fund the health care I will continue to convice my daugther that the conservatives are taking money from her education so the rich can get richer.
DJ Sniper
April 21st, 2011
3:24 pm
First off, you can’t call Peria Jerry a bust after just 2 season. You do know that it takes a while to fully recover from the type of knee injury that he suffered. Stop with the knee jerk reactions.
This damn labor situation is really screwing things up. If things were normal, I’d say the Falcons would go after a veteran DE in free agency, because it’s rare you get a DE like Dwight Freeney or Julius Peppers who can make an immediate impact. The way things are now, who knows.
DOL, I saw a blurb on ESPN Insider that Pitt WR Jonathan Baldwin has a few red flags on him. Do you have any idea what they may be? With his size (6′4″, 288) and ability (4.4 40 time, 42 inch vertical), he could be the deep threat we need.
DJ Sniper
April 21st, 2011
4:23 pm
My bad. That question about Baldwin was meant for Mark Bradley. I thought this was a DOL blog.
alex9
April 21st, 2011
5:26 pm
I hope they trade the first round 27th pick to the Arizona Cardinals for Larry Fitzgerald and a 5th round pick. If they were to do this, then they would immediately have an impact wide receiver.
They could then go for a DE in the 2nd round.
This would give them an immediate impact WR that I believe wants to play with Roddy White in Atlanta.. Quality DE’s would probably still be available in the 2nd- ie: Austin/ Taylor/ / Mooch/Jenkins.
The 3rd should be a high profile college player . A DE, OT, CB or TE. The 4th and 5th rounds another DE CB, WR,OT, Safety, or TE. There’s quality in these positions in these rounds.
The rest of the draft could be best player available. I hope they are active in the Free Agency market and keep the offensive line free agents in Atlanta.
It’s fun acting as though you may be the one pulling the strings. But I must admit the real pro’s are sitting in the Atlanta War Room and I have a bucket load of confidence in these men. .
Go Falcons and best of luck in the draft. I’m excited about the possibilities.
chipontheroad birdsrus
April 21st, 2011
7:40 pm
JH RC RL
DirtyBirdsin11
April 21st, 2011
7:47 pm
I say we go offense; either line, WR, or RB, highest available on TD’s draft board. I know we gotta have a better pash rush, but DE seems to be a risky position to draft in the 1st round. We already have Jamaal Anderson to remind us of that. I say we hope for the best from Kroy and Sidbury, and hopefully sign or trade for a DE if players do become available. I think the D-line will be improved with the development of Peters and Jerry. This offense has to become more explosive. Matty Ice and the boys were productive last season, but could never put their feet on the gas and run away with the game. Nor could they come back from large deficits; just look at the Philly loss and the GB playoff loss. The Falcons have to get a deep passing game, and more screen passes going for this offense to reach it’s full potential.
Steven A.
April 21st, 2011
8:30 pm
Totally agree with “DirtyBirdsin11.” Offense! Offense! Offense! Could have had
Dez Bryant last draft. These guys have SIGHT but no VISION. Sometimes you
have to take a chance on the Randy Moss and Michael Irvin types. Benchmark
Dimitrioff…”Outside the box just a little.”
FalconFan_notUGAfan
April 22nd, 2011
8:18 am
I would like to see the Falcons draft the best player to fit their needs and not worry about trying to appease the Dawg nation. Contrary to popular belief in the Atlanta area, the Falcons are their own entity and not an extension of UGA. Do we have to go through this every draft?
Sid
April 22nd, 2011
8:20 am
Clayborn if he is available.
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Mark Bradley
April 20th, 2011
12:26 pm
The one knock on Thomas Dimitroff: His last two No. 1 picks got hurt.
**********************************************
Unfortunate, yes……….a knock on TD, NO………….!!
Noah
April 22nd, 2011
11:38 am
As a huge falcons fan and georgia native who went to college at the Univ of Iowa I would love nothing more then to see the Falcons draft Clayborn. He did have a down year ni his Sr season but that was due to nagging injuries and alot of double teams and offenses game planning against him. More importantly, I have met Adrian a few times and he is a stand up person. He has the perfect combination of god given talent, determination and humility and humbleness to make him a great locker room guy and a great team player. Its hard to find people who have the combination that Clayborn has. Great guy, unliminted potential, really hard worker. Get him in a Black and Red uni and lets watch him terrorize NFC South QBS for eyars to come!
Adrain Clayborn – “The Predator”
Sure did make those yellow jackets tremble in the Orange bowl!
PlanB
April 22nd, 2011
12:46 pm
Seems we almost all agree that we need help against the pass. So much so, that I say we don’t draft and hope for a 3 year process of training a DE. We find a proven one in FA as we should have done last year. Keeping Grimes is a must. We’ve been thru the process of training him and now he is very capable of holding his own. Use JA#98 money on him. Robinson and Grimes will give a little more time on the rush. If Arthur doesn’t have the money to get the FA DE then we will just stay as a good team that usually makes the playoffs but is completely outclassed once we’re in them.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!
PlanB
April 22nd, 2011
12:57 pm
Forgot to mention, if we get a FA DE. we could trade our #1 for a #2 and something else and get 2 good players for less cost.
JKA
April 22nd, 2011
2:31 pm
Pass rushers are always among the most difficult players to find: witness the Giants drafting Ricky Pierre-Paul 16th last year, despite the fact he had only one so-so season in college……If the DE position is as stacked as advertised, I expect most of them will go off the board before the Falcons pick; and rather than reach for a less talented (Heyward) or risky (Houston) player, the Falcons may find that some very good players at other positions are available at 27 who wouldn’t usually last that long. This is especially true if some of the top QBs (like Locker, Dalton and Mallet) go in the top 26.
TD is a noted “needs” drafter, but there may be some great value at non-needs positiona that are too good to pass up.
Black Mountain Bulldog
April 23rd, 2011
7:53 am
If Kerrigan is gone draft Reed or Ayers.
BJR
April 23rd, 2011
11:38 am
rd.1 Jimmy Smith Marvin Austin Jabaal Sheard rd.2 Demarco Murray Jon Baldwin Bruce Carter
rfgh
April 24th, 2011
6:38 am
Mark, in response to the criticism of your using “big words’, please dont dumb down your columns for the semi-literate. Maybe they can use a dictionary and learn something.
Ed
April 25th, 2011
7:34 pm
With the 27th pick in the 2011 NFL draft the Atlanta Falcons select Cameron Heyward DE Ohio State
JoeCool24
April 26th, 2011
5:14 am
Why don’t you ever use photos in your leavings Mark?
For the Falcons, a Round 1 defensive end only makes sense | Mark Bradley
April 27th, 2011
12:55 pm
[...] the draft. The Falcons own the 27th pick in Round 1. Most mock drafts have them exercising that choice on a defensive end — a high-yield pass rusher meets the definition of “explosive player” — and [...]