After the 49ers put together a blockbuster package to move up to the 3rd spot in the draft, it almost feels like a guarantee that a quarterback will be taken with each of the first three picks come April 29th before the Falcons select 4th overall. Luckily, that still leaves Atlanta with a couple of talented QB prospects to choose from, and according to Peter King, they are leaning that way exactly a month out from the NFL Draft.
Trevor Lawrence goes one to Jacksonville. Wilson two, probably to the Jets. Mac Jones or Lance to San Francisco at three. I keep hearing Atlanta’s leaning QB, with logic having Lance sitting behind Matt Ryan for two years, then playing.
This makes sense on a couple of levels. First, it was reported last week that the 49ers also contacted the Falcons about moving up to four before they decided to pull the trigger on the trade with the Dolphins. That could very well be a sign that Terry Fontenot is hungry to select Atlanta’s next franchise quarterback. Lance also makes a lot of sense; he’s incredibly gifted physically, but most believe he needs to be groomed for a season or two before taking over the reigns. Considering Ryan will be leading the Falcons for at least one more year, having Lance learn behind him until he is ready seems like the most logical course of action.
Of course, this could also be nothing but smoke. Now that the 49ers have moved up to take a quarterback, the Falcons are in an ideal position to create a bidding war for the 4th overall pick. Every quarterback-needy team behind them will be calling, and they will have to offer even more if they genuinely believe the Falcons are interested in taking QB.
Unless the Falcons make a trade before the draft, we probably won’t have any idea exactly what they are thinking before they are on the clock come April 29th. However, what I do know is speculation will mount between now and then, with Atlanta essentially on the clock already.
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