Although I think the Falcons would be hesitant in dealing valuable pieces for a player that seems to not only be impatient but also rude to owners, the talent and production is too hard to pass up on. Yannick Ngakoue has accumulated 37.5 sacks to go along with 85 QB hits and a Pro Bowl selection in his four year career with Jacksonville. Not only would he be cheaper than he was before the draft, as many expected him to be used as trade bait for the Jaguars to move up in early rounds, but he would also add the much needed pressure and sacks to the Falcons defense, who categorically finished 28th in the NFL for sacks. Due to his value decrease and the negative mutual feelings between Ngakoue and the Jaguars organization, I think the Falcons could shock the NFL by acquiring him for as little as Takk McKinley, a 3rd and 6th rounder. Although this might seem like a lot, we most likely won’t resign McKinley next year, as we just recently declined his fifth year option. To make up for Mckinley’s projected production we would additionally add in the 3rd and 6th to entice the Jaguars to deal him to us for relatively cheap.

Many of you reading this most likely find it more unlikely that we don’t trade for him because of the massive contract we’ll eventually have to take on in future years, the Falcons could easily restructure Matt Ryan’s, Julio Jones’ and Deion Jones’ contracts to create more wiggle room for a contract satisfactory to Ngakoue’s desires. The Falcons defense would not only become more imposing for the NFC Souths’ bad offensive linemen but would also increase the Falcons chances of being able to see the playoffs, and possibly even a Super Bowl trophy in upcoming years.

AJ Terrell,CB,Clemson

Overall draft grade: B+

Grade Compared To Expectations: B-

  If we were to stay at 16 I fully expected for the Falcons to take a shot with Javon Kinlaw, the monster DE out of South Carolina. Unfortunately the NFL community saw him go to the 49ers just 3 picks earlier, ending all hopes of the Kinlaw, Jarrett duo on the defensive line.  All though I’d most definitely prefer the deadly defensive line duo, the front office is certainly not far off the trail by addressing our nagging secondary needs in the first round with the flashy CB. Not only does Terrell exceed in man coverage, which will be useful when he’ll be going against Micheal Thomas, DJ Moore, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin twice a year, but the front office seemingly has great confidence in his ability to be NFL ready day one; which should be important considering training camp will most likely be shortened. In total, I think Terrell could easily be justified as a high value pick for the Falcons and I’ve become more accustomed to the idea of having him be our feature CB for upcoming years.

Marlon Davidson, DE, Auburn

Overall Draft Grade: A-

Grade Compared To Expectations: B+

I’m going to be completely transparent here. I didn’t do my homework on the 297 pound monster as I had barely heard a peep about his unspoken potential, most likely due to the overshadow of 7th overall pick Derrick Brown playing alongside him for most of the year. Following the Falcons selecting him with the 47th pick I immediately started doing research, quickly finding out that this Auburn product is nothing less than an absolute demon for opposing QBs and offensive linemen, using his immense upper body strength to effortlessly toss linemen aside at will. Many experts compare this new Atlanta Falcon to the Ravens explosive DE Matt Judon, who put up 9.5 sacks last season. I expect nothing less than greatness from this aggressive, explosive and all around complete player.

Matt Hennessy, C, Temple

Overall Draft Grade: A

Grade Compared To Expectations: A+

Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff hit a homerun with this pick, not only adding depth and further safety for the most frequently sacked Matt Ryan, but they also were planning for the inevitable retirement of center Alex Mack. Hennessy, a 22 year old out of Temple, is known for his terrific technique in run and pass blocking, nonetheless beneficial for  Matt Ryan newly acquired Todd Gurley. Hennessy is frequently described as NFL ready and the most complete center in the draft, echoing the words of Temple coach Rod Carey, who has preached about Hennessy being the best center in the draft. Even though Hennessy most likely won’t make an immediate impact, I expect him to do a great job protecting Matt Ryan in the future.

Mykal Walker, LB, Fresno State

Overall Draft Grade: A-

Grade Compared to Expectations: A

As Dan Quinn has already announced Foye Oluokun to be starting material for next season, and the Falcons already having Deion Jones, I expected us to fill the last LB hole in the mid day two; most likely with the 119th selection. I was not disappointed by our choice. Mykal Walker, known for his extreme versatility and tackling abilities, fits the Falcons’ needs almost perfectly. Besides his lack of ability to effectively drop into zone coverage, Walker most certainly fits the bill as the pass rushing, off the ball linebacker we needed. I expect Walker to be named a starter come the 2021 season, and to be an effective player on the field. 

Jaylinn Hawkins, S, California 

Overall Draft Grade: B

Grade Compared to Expectations: B-

I highly doubt Hawkins to be a starter in this upcoming season but he will definitely provide some competition for Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen for the starting job at safety. Hawkins is an athletic player with pretty good range and a competitive attitude, which is definitely needed in the Falcons locker room. I don’t have much to say about the fourth round pick but I do think highly of the role he’ll play in the locker room and on the field as a great depth player. 

Sterling Hofrichter, P, Syracuse

Overall Draft Grade: D+

Grade Compared to Expectations: F

 I wasn’t expecting the Falcons to take a punter in the 7th round following a 3 hour wait on my end, anxiously expecting the Falcons to take a shot at a player like Javelin Guidry, who had a spectacular combine and would’ve provided the Falcons with even better depth and competition at the CB position. Instead, we went with a punter simply to put  Younghoe Koo and Ryan Allen on the hot seat, both of which had solid seasons last year. Although I always like a little competition I find drafting a punter in the 7th when we could’ve signed him as a UDFA was just simply unnecessary.

Overall Draft Grade: A-

I think the Falcons did a respectable job filling our most nagging needs and then some. I am convinced the upgrades in the secondary will help turn around the Falcons defense reputation and should help us make a strong playoff push in the highly competitive NFC South. I’m still completely stuck on the need to draft a punter with our 7th round pick but in the process I trust. And as always, Rise Up!

After this season the right thing to do would be to keep Dan Quinn as head coach for at least another season. As a head coach for the Falcons Dan Quinn is 42-37, which isn’t good for a guy with the crazy amount of talent surrounding him (or maybe lack thereof). I would also hate to see Matt Ryan and everyone else put through another scheme change in such a short time span, which I believe would just prolong our years of failure. What really raises immense interest to me though, is that disappointing after disappointing season DQ has put the Falcons and fans through, major pieces on our team like Julio Jones and Matt Ryan have made it public that they are pushing for Dan Quinn to retain his job. Since the bye week the Falcons are 5-2, with only losses to the Bucs and Saints. This signifies that the coaches and their players are coaching and playing harder than they ever have to keep DQ at HC. After the bye week we’ve also been without players like Julio, Devonta Freeman, Austin Hooper and now Calvin Ridley, which makes me wonder why we are even winning games. After the bye week, we’ve got Chris Lindstrom back, who was one of our first round picks last year. Since Lindstrom’s return the offensive line has allowed 4 sacks and have 302 passing yards per game to go along with 127 rushing yards every game. This is relevant to the thought that DQ deserves another season because although he has talent on the team, he doesn’t have enough where it all starts, on the offensive line. We need a strong OL to truly contend for the competitive South. If Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom can get, and stay healthy, for a continuous streak of games, the Falcons would be in GREAT shape. All these things would help the Falcons but to every good there’s ought to be some bad. It has recently come to light that there’s a possibility that Falcons star starting center, Alex Mack, may retire at the end of the year. Alex Mack is 33 years of age now so not only is this a very real possibility, it will most likely happen in spite of Falcons fans wishes. If Mack does retire it’s not going to be a fun season next year unless we draft an unbelievable center. I would say we could look to free agency but we have an estimated 1 million cap space in 2020, the 3rd lowest next year. Next year we also have Austin Hooper and Vic Beasley Jr. on expiring contracts.

That brings me to the point that I have been getting to this whole article: The Falcons are going to have to overhaul the whole team and build the team up again through the draft. We need a defense and now we have a defensive coach that’ll hopefully make our defense good again. To finish up, the Falcons would be wise to hold onto DQ to prevent further confusion for players, considering that the rebuild will be pretty lengthy. I hope you have enjoyed my analysis on the gloomy and inevitable future of the Atlanta Falcons. Up next will be a mock draft with analysis and predictions on who the Falcons should pick!

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