We are only a few days away from the NFL Draft, and there has been growing speculation about who the Falcons will pick.
For much of the offseason, every national draft pundit has mocked Dallas Turner to Atlanta, and up until recently, Vegas agreed.
Oddsmakers had the overwhelming betting favorite to be Turner at the 8th pick less than two weeks ago. As of 4/10, he was a +150 favorite to be the pick, followed by Laiatu Latu at +600, Jared Verse at +750, and Quinyon Mitchell at +750.
However, they’ve undergone a massive shift over the course of a week of so. DraftKings’ odds as of 4/15 had Dallas Turner still as the favorite but dropped to +210 odds with Latu moving up to +350, Verse to +500, and Rome Odunze to +550.
Most recently, Latu has overtaken Turner, and it seems like five days away from the NFL Draft, it is a toss-up between the pair of pass rushers. Both are around +200, followed by Rome Odunze, according to DraftKings.
UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu is the new favorite to be drafted No. 8 overall in the 2024 #NFLDraft:
Laiatu Latu (+200)
Dallas Turner (+210)
Rome Oduzne (+600)
Jared Verse (12/1)
Byron Murphy II (14/1)
Terrion Arnold (16/1)
Quinyon Mitchell (16/1)
J.J. McCarthy (16/1)
Malik Nabers… pic.twitter.com/LjYzedFswN— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) April 21, 2024
Vegas odds should be taken with a grain of salt in this instance.
At different points throughout the offseason, the Falcons were betting favorites to land Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson. So while I do think it’s somewhat notable that Latu has overtaken Turner, I wouldn’t write anything in stone.
The Falcons have an obvious need for a pass rusher, but I wouldn’t rule out Rome Odunze either. The Washington product is a certified stud who helped lead the Huskies to a National Championship appearance. He could very well be the top talent available when the Falcons are on the clock.
Terry Fontenot has been consistent in his approach to the draft, selecting who his staff deems the best player available. Their criteria is obviously different than yours and mine, though.
Last year’s cycle is the perfect example. Though Jalen Carter was arguably the top talent in the entire class, the Falcons passed over the former Georgia Bulldog in favor of Bijan Robinson, whose intangibles set him apart from other prospects.
The Falcons should be considered a wild card, in my opinion, because they could still trade back and/or land on a position other than receiver or pass rusher.
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Photographer: Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire
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