While Kirk Cousins will take precedence, improving the defense should be the overarching theme of this spring and summer, with the pass rush being the focal point.
Atlanta once again fielded one of the worst defenses in football, dragged down by their pass rush and coordinator. Jimmy Lake was fired, but hiring Jeff Ulbrich isn’t going to be a cure-all. The Falcons currently don’t have the personnel in Flowery Branch to get them where they need to go.
Internal development is going to be critical. There are a number of Day 2 draft picks that will have to start contributing in a bigger way — Arnold Ebiketie, DeAngelo Malone, Zach Harrison, Ruke Orhorhoro, and Bralen Trice. However, hoping one of those guys turns into a star is a pipe dream, so external improvement is necessary.
Free agency is not exactly ripe with options, so we are right back to praying Terry Fontenot can find a solution in the draft. It’s not exactly ideal, but the Falcons are in a position to finally draft a defensive player in the first round, something Fontenot has never done.
Many expect it to be a pass rusher, but what about a cornerback? There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and a dominant cornerback duo could do wonders for the Falcons’ pass rush. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dotcherman have Atlanta going in a different direction in their latest mock draft, selecting All-American corner Will Johnson.
“It’s hard to place Johnson right now, for a few reasons. Not many teams in the top 10 need a cornerback, and despite the fact Johnson is likely the best pure corner in this class (by a solid margin), he did miss most of this season with multiple injuries. All that said, this spot feels like it’s close to his draft floor.”
Many Georgia fans aren’t going to like this one with Jalon Walker still on the board. While I do agree that it would be hard to pass on Walker, Johnson might be worth it. A.J. Terrell has had a different starting corner opposite of him every season since coming to Atlanta, and Johnson could be his long-term running mate.
However, the Falcons do add to the defensive front in the second round of this mock draft, taking Nic Scouton out of Texas A&M. What do you think about the Falcons going in a different direction and selecting a cornerback in the first round?
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