The NFL draft is a couple of months away, and the Falcons have to come away with a Day 1 starter on defense. It would obviously be ideal if they could find a star pass rusher, but if that’s not possible, a long-term running mate for A.J. Terrell makes a lot of sense.
He might not fall to the Falcons, but Will Johnson would be a fantastic grab for Atlanta’s defense. Can he rush the passer? No, but he can help buy time for guys that can. There’s two primary facets of a successful pass rush — pressure and coverage. Improving both should be the goal, but coverage shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Ideally though, the Falcons find the next Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, etc. — à la the next great pass rusher. That would be exactly what the doctor ordered, and there’s a prospect that’s emrging to be a favorite to land at the 15th pick in Mike Green. In the latest mock draft from Field Yates of ESPN, the Falcons draft college football’s sack leader out of Marashall.
“Green led the nation with 17 sacks in 2024, so he can get home to the quarterback. The Falcons need some of that after finishing with 31 sacks (31st in the league). Trading for Matthew Judon in August was supposed to help, but he had only 5.5 sacks and is now a free agent. Green, meanwhile, combines an explosive first step with knock-back power and an arsenal of pass-rush moves. And in his biggest test of the past season, he sacked Ohio State’s Will Howard on a nasty spin move coming off the left side of the defense.”
Green is a fast riser up draft boards, and if that trend continues, he might even go before the Falcons have the chance to draft him. A lot smarter people than me seem to love the kid. I am of the opinion that it doesn’t matter what position he plays on defense, the Falcons need a Day 1 starter that can make an impact in 2025. If it’s Mike Green, sign me up.
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