Resetting the Falcons Draft Board Following Fowler Signing

South Carolina Gamecocks defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw
Photo credit © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Following the Wednesday's signing of Dante Fowler, many believe the Atlanta Falcons will focus their attention away from EDGE rusher at the #16 overall selection in April's NFL Draft.

Many NFL Draft experts believe that former Ohio State DE Chase Young is the only "can't miss" pass rush prospect in this season's rookie class. While many mock drafts had the Falcons drafting based on need, most prognosticators said the Falcons would be "over-drafting" by selecting former Iowa DE AJ Epenesa or LSU DE K'Lavon Chaisson.

Unless the Falcons want to increase their depth at defensive end or spur the end of DE Takk McKinley in Atlanta, the Falcons should plan on going elsewhere with their first selection. I've outlined three separate courses of action for them to take.

1. Defensive Tackle
This was always a viable option with the Falcons if their plans centered around taking the best available defensive player. Many mock drafts had former South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw falling to the Falcons at #16, which would provide a more than suitable running mate to current Atlanta tackle Grady Jarrett. Another option could be trading up to select the top D-Tackle in many people's eyes, Auburn DT Derrick Brown, but depending on where he falls, the price might be too rich for the Falcons to part with more draft capital. If Brown and Kinlaw both fall to pick 16, the Falcons would have their pick of the pair. An Atlanta D-Line with Fowler, McKinley, recently re-signed DT Tyeler Davison & one of these two rookies would serve as a massive upgrade over the Falcons' last couple of campaigns.2. Defensive Back
Following the subpar NFL Combine performances of Epenesa and Chiasson, many who follow the Draft had the Falcons pivoting away from EDGE rusher at #16. A couple of recent mock drafts had the Falcons taking former Florida defensive back CJ Henderson with their first round selection. Henderson had a late-first/early-second round grade on him going into the proceedings in Indianapolis, but solid measureables and impressive field work have evaluators saying he should come off the board on the opening day of the Draft. NFL.com projects him as "Quality Year One Starter" in their draft tracker, and he would immediately satisfy the Falcons' need to get younger and cheaper in the secondary after this week's release of highly-paid CB Desmond Trufant. Scouts praised former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs for his length and ball skills at the combine and he would profile similarly to the type of player the Falcons lost with Trufant. Some however, have questioned how Diggs fits with the Falcons' zone-heavy scheme, and the negatives against him could make him a "reach" pick at #16.3. Trade back and address the Offensive Line & Running Back

While the crop of high-level offensive lineman in the Top 15 might leave the Falcons without much recourse at #16, another option would be to acquire more volume with additional picks. Unless former Georgia OT Andrew Thomas falls into the Falcons' laps at #16, Atlanta can get the same value at line anywhere in the second half of the first round. The Falcons could trade down in the first round to get a left guard and get another pick in the early second round to address the immediate need at running back after Atlanta cut Devonta Freeman. Former USC offensive tackle Austin Jackson and ex-Houston Cougar Joshua Jones have late First Round grades if the Falcons wanted to draft an edge block and move one of their existing tackles inside to play left guard. The Falcons could also trade back to get the top running back, former Georgia RB D'Andre Swift in the first round and address guard with an early second-round selection. While many believe Atlanta should address the defense with its early-round draft picks, the Falcons could plug two significant holes by trading back and fixing their stagnant run game.The Falcons still have some tough decisions to make in free agency, but these three choices represent the best way for Atlanta to improve its squad immediately with the 2020 NFL Draft.