Mock draft season is a special time of year when fans can envision their favorite team fixing all that ails them with one selection. For Falcons fans, the hope is that the 2022 NFL Draft can provide a fix to the pass rush woes that have plagued the franchise in recent years.
Two names have been perpetuated as the top pass rushers in the 2022 class—Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux and Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson—but, with the eighth overall pick, it remains to be seen if either one would be available when the Falcons are on the clock.
If general manager Terry Fontenot is truly enamored with either prospect, trading up may be in the cards, however, for a team like the Falcons that needs to stockpile talent, he’d likely have to part with a decent amount of draft capital in order to do so. CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt joined 92.9 The Game this week and expressed his opinion that, for that reason, a trade may not be in the team’s best interest.
“As much as I like Hutchinson and Thibodeaux, trading assets to move up to get one of those guys may not be worth it," Hunt said. "I don’t want to say you can get someone of equal talent, but you can definitely get a nice pass rusher in someone like Jermaine Johnson out of Florida State right there at eight as opposed to trading future assets to go up and get one guy. You can stay at eight, get your guy and still have the rest of your picks to move and shake.”
Johnson’s name continues to gradually move up big boards following an impressive showing in practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last month. Johnson finished sixth in the country in 2021 with 12 sacks while Hutchinson finished third with 14. Thibodeaux had just seven sacks as he battled through an ankle injury which he suffered in the season opener. All three edge rushers are comparable in terms of measurables, but the Heisman finalist from Michigan is the largest of the bunch at 6’6”, 265 pounds.
If Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock draft is to be believed, the Falcons may be able to hold onto all of their picks and nab Thibodeaux at eight. Questions surrounding the Oregon DE's motor have caused his stock to shift a bit as we enter the offseason. For Hutchinson, some scouts have voiced their concern that his overall productivity at Michigan leaves something to be desired prior to his breakout season. Johnson, a UGA transfer, has also received similar criticism early in the pre-draft process.
Atlanta finished the 2021-22 season with a dismal 18 total sacks and will look to rebuild the defensive line around DT Grady Jarrett this offseason. With a limited amount of cap space, the eighth overall pick, along with two second-rounders and a third-rounder, will be critical in their efforts.