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Atlanta Falcons: NFC South Draft Round 1 Grades & Notes

By W. M. Lawson

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Takkarist McKinley (UCLA) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he holds a photo of his grandmother as he is selected as the number 26 overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Takkarist McKinley (UCLA) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he holds a photo of his grandmother as he is selected as the number 26 overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Falcons made a move in the first round of the NFL Draft, and in doing so, kept pace with the rest of the NFC South.

1. Atlanta Falcons-Takkarist McKinley (No. 26 overall)

takk mckinley
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Takkarist McKinley (UCLA) is selected as the number 26 overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta, coming off of the 2016 draft that saw 5 players contribute as rookies, looked to continue that magic Thursday night. With the 31st overall pick, Atlanta’s Front Office pulled the trigger on a trade with Seattle, giving them a 3rd and 7th rd pick, and moved up 5 spots.

At 6-2, 250 lbs, Takk McKinley continues the Dan Quinn model for defense…fast, physical, brute, and tenacious. In his senior season at UCLA, “Takk” had 18 tackles for loss and 10 solo QB sacks. He had 17.5 sacks in his last two years. With a relentless motor, and speed and size to wreak havoc on the edge, he adds to a linebacker corps in Atlanta that will already be fierce.

In short, the selection of McKinley is two sides of one coin. The “heads” would be that he has “Dan Quinn” football player written all over him. He played his last two years with a torn labrum and fractured shoulder…and had 17.5 sacks. The “tails” is that he played that long with injury, and nobody knows how that effects his health down the line.

At this point, after the 2016 draft, Quinn and Co. get the benefit of the doubt. If they moved to get him, they must see something. That something could be a LB corps of Vic Beasley, Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, and McKinley. Now that…is fast and furious.

Grade: A-

Franchise Fit: A+

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