Falcons take top pass rusher in latest NFL mock draft

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 11 Arizona State at UCLA

The Falcons are going to be in the market for a quarterback and head coach this offseason.

One alone won’t get Atlanta back to the postseason. The club needs competent men in both roles. The Falcons have requested to interview a number of head coaching candidates, but the name that has been brought up the most is Bill Belichick.

The former Patriots head coach is seemingly enthralling to Arthur Blank, who has been known as an appreciator of “The Patriot Way” in Foxborough. A lot of Atlanta’s possibilities at the quarterback position depend on the head coach, in my opinion.

If it’s Belichick, the Falcons may be more inclined to go the veteran route. In fact, it may be the only option because the draft could very well go QB, QB, QB as the first three selections, leaving the Falcons in a potential pickle if they don’t see any of the other prospects worth the 8th overall pick.

If that becomes reality, the Falcons will be in a position to draft the best player available. In a mock draft from Jordan Reid of ESPN, the Falcons end up with the top pass rusher and the first defensive player off the board — Laiatu Latu.

It’s no secret the Falcons need a quarterback. But Arthur Smith has been relieved of his coaching duties, and with pressure to win next season, I think Atlanta could go the veteran route under center. With that in mind, adding another pass-rusher makes sense, as the Falcons owned the worst pass rush win rate (30.9%) in the league. Latu has an impressive arsenal of pass rush moves and has improved as a run defender. He was second in the FBS in pressure rate (20.1%) this season and recorded 23.5 sacks since joining UCLA in 2022.

Medicals are the biggest question mark here. Latu was forced to sit out two seasons because of a 2020 neck injury while still at Washington. But with a clean bill of health, he would be a no-brainer top-10 pick.

If a quarterback is the Falcons’ biggest need, a dominant pass rusher is second. Though the defense improved dramatically under Ryan Nielsen with a haul of free agents, it was still missing a reliable force off the edge.

I’m not sure if taking a player with serious concerns about his neck is the best use of a first-round pick, but medicals should be hammered out during the draft process.

Reid has the Falcons passing on Brock Bowers and Olumuyiwa Fashanu in favor of Latu. Bowers is the unquestioned best tight end in college football, and Fashanu is up there with Joe Alt as the best tackle. I wouldn’t have an issue with any of those three, Dallas Turner or Kool-Aid McKinstry. There are plenty of ways to go if the Falcons don’t target a quarterback in the draft.

Photographer: Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire

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