The Falcons are expected to take a defender in the first round of the NFL draft later this month; it would mark the first time that’s happened since Terry Fontenot took over in Atlanta, with many fans hoping it’s Mike Green.
The country’s sack leader from a year ago is a popular pick among Falcons fans, and rightfully so. Obviously, the pass rusher who led college football in sacks going to one of the worst pass rushing teams is enticing. But it’s more than that.
Green plays with an edge that we haven’t seen a lot in Atlanta. He went viral for a rep at the Senior Bowl in which he bulldozed a tackle as if he was a junior high player. That attitude is infectious and is something the defense could use more of.
Excitingly, the Falcons have been linked to Mike Green by multiple NFL scouts and executives, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN
“Multiple people we spoke to for this story have linked Atlanta as a potential landing spot for Green at No. 15,” the league insider wrote.
A massive factor in the prospect of Atlanta drafting the Marshall product is his off-the-field concerns. Two reported sexual assault allegations against him, one from high school and one while he was at Virginia, certainly plays a part in teams’ evaluations of Green.
“But this is something that teams have been trying to process, and multiple execs admitted that the presence of the allegations affects their outlook on Green to some degree,” Fowler added.
“There’s accusations out there,” Green said during the NFL Combine. “I’ve never been questioned. I’ve never been asked. You know what I’m saying? Like, nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave from there.”
The Falcons will surely complete their due diligence, but we’ve seen them balk at the chance of drafting a supreme talent with off-the-field issues before. They passed on the opportunity to land Jalen Carter in favor of Bijan Robinson a couple of years ago, and it’s looked worse in each season since.
At a certain point, the “ethos” the Falcons have prioritized has to take a back seat to talent. Raheem Morris and Fontenot have talked nonstop about the culture they want to create. It would be a good time to put it to the test for a player like Mike Green.
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Photographer: Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire
