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Atlanta Falcons Need A Productive Draft Yet Again

By W. M. Lawson

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 18: Head coach Dan Quinn of the Atlanta Falcons looks on from the sidelines during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 18, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 18: Head coach Dan Quinn of the Atlanta Falcons looks on from the sidelines during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 18, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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With less than a month until the 2018 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons look to shore up and bolster a number of spots. Quickly.

This isn’t going to be the traditional or normative NFL Draft for the Atlanta Falcons. That’s a good thing. What Coach Dan Quinn and company have done in their short time is impressive. Gone are the days when a Top 5 pick is needed to be an instant franchise changer. But there are serious questions at certain positions, and answers to those questions are needed in this Draft.

The problem is which position takes primacy and utmost importance? With the Falcons, coming off of a playoff appearance, and back to back NFL Playoff appearances, it seems odd that anything more than depth at a couple of positions would be needed. That oddity is compounded by the fact that Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitrov have drafted very well in recent years. Very well. Those playoff appearances are a testament to that fact. Rookies helped propel that team to a Super Bowl just two years ago.

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But, it’s true, nonetheless. Defensive Tackle, Offensive Guard, Defensive End, Wide Receiver, Linebacker, Corner are all needed. Some more than others. But, still.

And how is that possible? Well, it’s a little of both folks leaving and a couple of misses in those otherwise successful drafts. Dontari Poe and Adrian Clayborn are gone from the D Line. Both were productive, and most “experts” believe that DT will be the choice in the 1st Round.

Without going in on Andy Levitre and Wes Schweitzer, the reality is that the Offensive Guard position has been sub-optimal at best. Atrocious, at times, wouldn’t be an overstatement.

The Wide Receiver room could use someone other than Jones and Sanu. The Linebacker room is talented, but paper-thin in terms of depth. Same for the DB room.

Both Quarterbacks are north of 30 years old. That will have to be addressed at some point.

On the face of it, this coming NFL Draft for the Atlanta Falcons looks daunting and stressed with all the holes to fill. The good there, though, is that Quinn has done a fantastic job of identifying talent and coaching those dudes into immediate contribution. At this point you have to trust that they will mostly get it right next month.

The Atlanta Falcons will be good this year. Probably one of the best teams in the entire NFL. So, these picks probably won’t make or break the season. But one, or more, of these dudes could be the difference between 10 wins and 12 wins.

Next: How will The Atlanta Falcons Replace The Loss Of Two Key D Linemen?

As we saw last year, that’s a big difference.

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