The first round of the NFL draft wasn’t as crazy as I originally suspected, but there were still a few moves that raised my eyebrow.
I’d say the biggest surprise of yesterday’s draft is Travis Etienne to Jacksonville or Jeremiah Owusu-Koaramoah still being available on day two.
— SportsTalkATL Jake (@cantguardjake) April 30, 2021
There’s plenty of talent available for the Falcons in round one and round two, and if you want to see how I have these guys ranked, my big boards are below:
2021 NFL Draft Big Board (Offense)
2021 NFL Draft Big Board (Defense)
Skill Players:
RB Javonte Williams, North Carolina
RB Michael Carter, North Carolina
RB Kenny Gainwell, Memphis
RB Trey Sermon, Ohio State
WR Terrace Marshall, LSU
WR Elijah Moore, Ole Miss
WR Dyami Brown, North Carolina
WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC
TE Tommy Tremble, Notre Dame
TE Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
I don’t expect the Falcons to venture into this group outside of running back, but some solid names are on this list. Javonte Williams is my RB1, and Trey Sermon has potential as a feature back in an offense. He may be available on day three. Carter and Gainwell are both change-of-pace backs, for the most part, so I doubt the Falcons would spend a day two pick on either. I won’t get into the wide receivers, but this is a talented group — especially Marshall, Moore, and Brown. There’s no shot the Falcons double-dip on tight ends with two of their first three picks, but Tommy Tremble is an amazing blocker, and Pat Freiermuth is a lethal vertical threat. I left quarterback off this list because I don’t think any of them are worth a day two pick.
Offensive Line:
IOL Wyatt Davis, Ohio State
IOL Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
IOL Landon Dickerson, Alabama
IOL Quinn Meinerz, Wisconsin-Whitewater
IOL Kendrick Greene, Illinois
IOL Trey Smith, Tennessee
IOL Aaron Banks, Notre Dame
IOL Drew Dalmon, Stanford
IOL David Moore, Grambling
IOL Ben Cleveland, Georgia
OT Robert Hainsey, Notre Dame
OT Teven Jenkins, Oklahoma State
OT Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame
OT Brady Christensen, BYU
OT Sam Cosmi, Texas
OT Walker Little, Stanford
OT Spencer Brown, Northern Illinois
OT Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State
I’m not gonna talk about all of these guys, but anyone with “IOL” next to their name is fair game for the Falcons on day two. I wouldn’t mind spending the 35th pick on Wyatt Davis or Creed Humphrey, but I think the value you could get in a guy like Quinn Meinerz, Trey Smith, Kendrick Greene, or Drew Dalman means you should stick to the best player available.
Front Seven:
IDL Christian Barmore, Alabama
IDL Daviyon Nixon, Iowa
IDL Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech
IDL Alim McNeill, North Carolina State
IDL Levi Onwuzurike, Washington
EDGE Azeez Ojulari, Georgia
EDGE Carlos Basham, Wake Forest
EDGE Joseph Ossai, Texas
EDGE Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh
EDGE Ronnie Perkins, Oklahoma
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
LB Nick Bolton, Missouri
LB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
LB Jabril Cox, LSU
No interior defensive linemen were taken in round one, but I like the value of Milton Williams or Alim McNeill later on in this draft. Daviyon Nixon is a bit of a project, but he could develop into a monster with refined technique. The big names on this list are obviously Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Azeez Ojulari. Ojulari has some alleged knee problems, and Owusu-Koramoah may be a better fit at safety. Still, there’s no denying there are two very talented football players that could start day one for the Falcons available. I’m not sure either guy makes it to the 35th pick, but it would be hard to pass up on either if they did. Carlos Basham and Joseph Ossai would be nice scheme fits as well.
Secondary:
CB Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky
CB Asante Samuel Jr, Florida State
CB Aaron Robinson, UCF
CB Elijah Molden, Washington
CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse
CB Tyson Campbell, Georgia
CB Deommodore Lenoir, Oregon
S Trevon Moehrig, TCU
S Jevon Holland, Oregon
S Richie Grant, UCF
S James Wiggins, Cincinnati
S Jamar Johnson, Indiana
S Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State
Of course, with no safeties selected in round one, the Falcons could have their choice of safety on day two. I really like Jevon Holland and Richie Grant, but this is a pretty deep class with a few enticing options. If you want to consider Owusu-Koramoah a safety, he falls into that category as well. I think the cornerback group is pretty deep too, and it would be hard to go wrong with any of the guys above. Ifeatu Melifonwu would be a nice pick in round three if the Falcons don’t go with an Asante Samuel Jr or Kelvin Joseph in round two.
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