Atlanta Falcons: Prioritizing 2016 NFL Draft needs

Secondary Needs

The Atlanta Falcons’ three secondary needs are at wide receiver, pass rusher, and at safety. The wide receiving corps in Atlanta was the NFL’s gold standard the last several years under former wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie. Now that Robiskie is in Nashville as the new offensive coordinator for Mike Mularkey‘s Tennessee Titans, new wide receivers coach Raheem Morris will certainly want to draft a player he believes can catch passes right away for starting quarterback Matt Ryan.

Atlanta already has an All-Pro wideout in the fantastic three-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones, but needs to find either a secondary or tertiary wide receiving option. Roddy White is clearly past his prime. The front office cut Leonard Hankerson before the end of the season. Justin Hardy has promise, but projects as mostly a slot receiver. The Atlanta Falcons are certainly going to address their wide receiver concerns this offseason, but it’s up in the air if that is through the draft or through free agency.

For the last several years, the Atlanta Falcons have been essentially the worst pass rushing team in football. Dan Quinn’s 4-3 Under defensive scheme has the framework to generate a pass rush, but Atlanta massively disappointed in that regard in Quinn’s first year in Atlanta.

Atlanta could target a pass rusher in the 2016 NFL Draft, but may find a more polished player that is a better scheme fit in free agency. Drafting pass rushers is always frightening because we never really know how a guy’s motor will hold up in the NFL, how quick his first step really is, if he knows how to use his hands at all, or if his pass rushing successes or failures are strictly based on scheme.

The last secondary need for the Atlanta Falcons is actually in the secondary. The defensive backfield is the most talented area of the Atlanta Falcons’ defense, headlined by Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant. Robert Alford grew in his third year and outside of rookie Jalen Collins, the cornerbacks played well in 2015 for Atlanta.

Safety is a position that the Falcons should look to upgrade, as veteran strong safety William Moore misses at least four games a year with nagging injuries. Kemal Ishmael, Ricardo Allen, and even at times Charles Godfrey looked strong in the middle of the defensive backfield. However, going after a top-tier safety in either of the first three rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft is something Thomas Dimitroff and his personnel staff should seriously consider.

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