Atlanta Falcons Biggest Draft Needs
By Deke Lloyd
4. Linebacker
The Falcons have Deion Jones coming back, and that’s a positive. That means breakout player, Foyesade Oluokun will move to a backup spot, giving the Falcons more depth in the linebacker position.
Atlanta still has De’Vondre Campbell, a starter, and Duke Riley, calling him a disappointment would be kind, for the other linebacker spot. This means the Falcons are pretty set at linebacker, compared to other positions on the defense. The season after this season is when the Falcons will start to see the problem.
Deion Jones has been a great player for the Falcons, and I expect him to get paid like it. De’Vondre Campbell, a very serviceable NFL linebacker, will most likely be too expensive for the Falcons to keep him, too. This is a sad price of business in the NFL. Every player can’t be paid. That’s why the Falcons may take a shot at a linebacker in the later rounds of the draft.
The Duke Riley experiment has gone up in flames, and this will most likely be his last season with the Falcons, barring some miracle. The Falcons are somewhat deep at linebacker, but that can all change very quickly in this league. It would be wise for the Falcons to think about the future.