Falcons: CBS mock draft has Atlanta selecting an Ohio State receiver

The Falcons are slotted to pick eighth overall, and there is plenty of speculation regarding of Terry Fontenot will select come April’s draft. Will the Falcons select Matt Ryan’s successor? Will they take the best defensive player on the board to jumpstart one of the worst units in the league? Will Atlanta continue to draft first-round offensive linemen in hopes of maximizing Ryan’s last years?

There is an argument to be had for almost any of these prospects, and there are grounds for Fontenot to trade back to acquire more draft capital with so many holes littered across the roster. Once draft night comes, the board could shake out any which way, and Fontenot will respond accordingly. In this latest CBS mock draft, the Falcons take the first receiver off the board in Garrett Wilson.

https://twitter.com/CBSSportsHQ/status/1488632197204647942?s=20&t=tocAqkG6MI5G127_QKH1tA

As the offseason progresses, the state of the roster will become much more clear; the draft will set the stage for free agency. But there are decisions to make before that happens — namely, the futures of Calvin Ridley, Deion Jones, Grady Jarrett, and others. Ridley is the biggest wild card of the group; if he intends to play for a different team in 2022, the Falcons will have a considerable need at the receiver position, so the Wilson pick does make sense in a scenario like that.

Even still, drafting Wilson with Ridley returning to the team could just be Fontenot selecting the highest-graded prospect on the Falcons’ big board at the time of their pick. It’ll be interesting to see how the board shakes out because Fontenot has been adamant about taking the best player available. In my opinion, Charles Cross, who Chris Trapasso has going tenth to the Jets, is a better prospect than Wilson.

If those sentiments resonated throughout the Falcons front office, fans can expect Atlanta to select the offensive tackle out of Mississippi State. I genuinely believe the Falcons will choose the best player available. Still, history shows their evaluation may have flaws considering the team took Jalen Mayfield over Paulson Adebo, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and other 2021 rookies that had immediate impacts on their respective teams.