Let's say These Are the Positions We Draft....Who fills the spots?

[SetfreexX]

**DISCLAIMER** I am a very casual college football fan, so my familiarity with recruits, schools, stats etc. is limited until I do any research based off visits and linked team interest. With that being said, here's how I'd like our picks to shake out in this years draft, but why don't ya'll fill in the ???'s with your prospect expertise. Figured this would be a fun way to pass a slow Thursday in the office before a three day weekend!

 

1-WR:??? I think with Gettleman coming from a team that took Wr's early in NY and did not draft any first round OL if memory serves, will look to solidify the #2 WR spot to balance out the field as far as coverage is concerned in regards to rolled coverage to KB, and Olsen at times. He's on record stating he sees Oher as a starter and I believe him, so no need to draft a tackle in the ''first''.

 

2-OT:??? As we solidify receiver depth in the first it's time to look at the future at tackle, I'd imagine we draft a player here with experience at both spots L/R for depth, and to become an eventual starter in the coming years, as well as spot duty in the event of an injury.

 

3-DB:??? I like the full rotation at DT/DL returning from last season, Ealy was a blue chipper in the 2nd last year, and insurance for Hardy leaving via FA I think his growth allows us to address the secondary & add more talent. Allowing Bene' to move inside in nickel situations.

 

4-HB:??? I don't see us taking a first round HB given Gettleman's frugality and the de-valuation of 1st round running backs. However it is not a position the team can afford to ignore and a mid round selection seems like the perfect time to look for a compliment to our current stable.

 

5-DB/OL/S:??? Here I see us adding depth to the OL and some additional speed to our secondary, I think our starters are in place for the OL, but the secondary behind Norman, Bene', Boston, and Harper is lacking talent to be developed. What better time to address the depth in the secondary than by double dipping in the 5th?

 

6-WR:??? The future of our receiving corp behind Benjamin, and our 1st round pick still leaves a lot to be desired, Cotchery, and Bersin are slow possession receivers, Ginn is 29 with a two year deal, meanwhile Brown is even smaller and has shown a propensity to get nicked up, meanwhile what Hill brings is still an unknown to us. Perfect time to draft a developmental receiver.

 

7-LB:??? Probably the strongest personnel grouping on our roster led by Kuechly and Davis, I think we could see a raw athletic LB find his name called with hopes of an early special teams role in the future. Klein, Trusnik, and Glanton buy us some time before we really need to bring in a blue chip prospect to eventually replace Davis next to Kuechly.

 

Have at it gents!

[Dex]

What is this? Why couldn't you just do a mock like the rest of us idiots.

[Batman]

Wut?

[The Huddler]

booo

[DOMOMAN]

Jaelen Strong

DJ Humphries

Doran Grant

Javourius Allen

Clayton Geathers

Titus Davis

Mark Nzeocha

 

Btw you forgot our 2 comp picks in the 5th

[O-Ther]

You're drafting by need instead of best player available. This is how the Falcons have drafted and look where that has gotten them.

[LinvilleGorge]

Ah hell, I'll play.

 

1. Jaelen Strong (WR)

2. Cedric Ogbuehi (OT)

3. Byron Jones (DB)

4. Cameron Artis-Payne (RB)

5. James Sample (S)

6. Stefon Diggs (WR)

7. Davis Tull (LB)

[Leeroy Jenkins PhD]

1st (WR) - Breshad Perriman, Central Florida or Jaelen Strong, Arizona State.  (the only way we take a WR is if one of the top guys falls to us)

2nd (OT) - Jake Fisher, Oregon or one of the Oklahoma twins (Thompson or Williams)

3rd (DB) - Alex Carter, Stanford (not likely there) or Byron Jones, Connecticut

4th (HB) - Javoris Allen, USC

5th (DB) - Jacoby Glenn, Central Florida

5th (OL) - Andy Gallik ©, Boston College

5th (S) - Justin Cox, Mississippi State

6th (WR) - Deontay Greenberry, Houston

7th (LB) - Zach Hodges, Harvard

[SetfreexX]

You're drafting by need instead of best player available. This is how the Falcons have drafted and look where that has gotten them.

 

No, the Falcons mortgaged several picks for one player, this is far from that. 

 

Look at all of Gettleman's drafts to date:

 

Star, KK, KB, Ealy (our 1st and 2nd's) in sequential drafts, the year we drafted two DT's was following a season where DT was a huge need for the team. Same for KB and Ealy, we had just cut the all-time leading everything at WR and had just failed to extend Hardy, insert high pick on a DE. 

 

Do not confuse BPA/Need matching up. Looking at our roster and draft this year and his draft history associated with NY, and most recently us BPA has also met need, I think we are positioned to follow suit again in the early rounds while matching BPA and need again. 

 

 

[SetfreexX]

 

Jaelen Strong

DJ Humphries

Doran Grant

Javourius Allen

Clayton Geathers

Titus Davis

Mark Nzeocha

 

Btw you forgot our 2 comp picks in the 5th

 

 

The 5th spot should have 3 positions, DB/OL/S that's includes our extra picks in that round. 

[Bartin]

You're drafting by need instead of best player available. This is how the Falcons have drafted and look where that has gotten them.

 

There are plenty of teams who use need based drafting and do extremely well. BPA vs Need is like the 3-4 vs the 4-3 defenses. They are different styles that depend mostly on the execution to be successful.

[O-Ther]

No, the Falcons mortgaged several picks for one player, this is far from that. 

 

Look at all of Gettleman's drafts to date:

 

Star, KK, KB, Ealy (our 1st and 2nd's) in sequential drafts, the year we drafted two DT's was following a season where DT was a huge need for the team. Same for KB and Ealy, we had just cut the all-time leading everything at WR and had just failed to extend Hardy, insert high pick on a DE. 

 

Do not confuse BPA/Need matching up. Looking at our roster and draft this year and his draft history associated with NY, and most recently us BPA has also met need, I think we are positioned to follow suit again in the early rounds while matching BPA and need again. 

 

That Julio Jones trade was 4 years ago look more recently like last year. They needed front 7 players for their backasswards 3-4 hybrid they were trying out so they drafted 4 LBs last year hoping someone would stick. All 4 LBs did jack-poo and weren't an answer at either run-stopping or pass-rushing. Yes they had decent 1st-3rd round picks, and all those LBs were 4th round and later.

 

That's what drafting for need does. It may work well in the 1st and decently in the 2nd, but odds get much worse of finding a starter caliber player based on "well, we feel thin at safety, so let's get the highest rated safety left instead of grabbing that running back who may not have been the fastest but will be a starter in our system mid-season". Later round gems like we've had in Josh Norman, AJ Klein, Tre Boston, and Bene Benwikere aren't happening to Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa because they follow a needs philosophy like we used to before Gettleman,

 

TL;DR we're drafting better than the rest of the NFC South using BPA instead of need

 

 

 

 

[O-Ther]

There are plenty of teams who use need based drafting and do extremely well. BPA vs Need is like the 3-4 vs the 4-3 defenses. They are different styles that depend mostly on the execution to be successful.

 

If we want to consistently be in playoff and SB contention, we are best served by following teams that use BPA like the Ravens, Packers, and Seahawks than teams that draft for need. Filling needs is for free agency. Long-term roster strategy is better done drafting quality players even if they sit for a year or two because the starters are still serviceable.

 

Drafting for need by definition can't have a 3 year or 5 year long term plan. It's "what do we need this year" every year, and frankly I was tired of our past successes being 1 year and done. We ran hot and cold for the playoffs using a draft for need philosophy, and am happy with our new BPA  approach and the better future it is appearing to bring.

 

[CatalystNX]

1. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State

2. Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M

3. Steven Nelson, Oregon State

4. Mike Davis, South Carolina

5. Justin Coleman, Tennessee

5. Max Garcia, Florida

5. Jordan Richards, Stanford

6. Stefon Diggs, Maryland

7. Dyshawn Davis, Syracuse