Falcons in hunt for No. 1 overall draft pick

[Jamaaliver]

Come on down, Jadeveon Clowney!!!

http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/atlanta-falcons/2013/nov/12/falcons-hunt-no-1-overall-draft-pick/

Here are six players to keep an eye on:

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina. The motor issues are a little disconcerting.

C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama. The Falcons will need to check out his injury history.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson. Hey, Roddy isn’t getting any younger and Julio Jones is on crutches right now.

Antony Barr, OLB, UCLA. He has 20 career sacks. Dad, Tony Brooks, played fullback at Notre Dame and was a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1992 NFL draft. He also has three uncles to play in the NFL.

Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M. He is the son Bruce Matthews, who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2007 after a stellar 19-year career with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans. The Falcons may not be able to pass on one of the Matthews family members this time around. They could use Clay Matthews Jr. right about now.

Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame. A Monroe, Ga. native. “He’s definitely got the size and the speed,” said Falcons safety Zeke Motta, who played at Notre Dame. “He’s been doing good. I know that he got ejected (from) the last game on a helmet-to-helmet hit. He’s definitely good at rushing the quarterback. He has a pretty good first step. He’s got good size and speed.”

[Jamaaliver]

First rounder HAS to be on a DE, right?

2nd rounder on offensive lineman or linebacker.

When we traded up last year for Trufant, and saw Ogletree still available at #30, I suspected our linebacker depth might be a problem. Then when we doubled up on another CB in the 2nd round, I had a feeling this past draft would come back to haunt us.

CB may have been our biggest hole, but it was far from our only. Besides, in this league, the best way to defend against the pass is to RUSH the Quarterback. This league is still predicated on blocking and tackling. We don't do either very well.

We need a defense.

[HMFFL]

Jadeveon Clowney makes the most sense to me with the first overall pick.

[ATL Boy]

There's always a silver lining and this is a good one for this nightmare of a season. With our remaining schedule I see us going 2-14 or 3-13, meaning that our main competition for the number 1 pick will be the Jags. There's no way Jacksonville doesn't take Bridgewater so we should be in dream land with Clowney. This season could be a blessing in disguise, maybe our top 3 pick leads our defense to that elusive superbowl we've been craving for so long.

[Jamaaliver]

There's always a silver lining and this is a good one for this nightmare of a season...we should be in dream land with Clowney. This season could be a blessing in disguise, maybe our top 3 pick leads our defense to that elusive superbowl we've been craving for so long.

I love the optimism, Adnin.

Hopefully, Dimitroff focuses on guys who block and tackle, not just ones who score touchdowns.

Letting Clabo, McClure and Abraham each leave in a single offseason was simply too much. Trying to replace Clabo and McClure with unproven, young cheap players was foolish in a season he expected to compete for a SB.

Leaving that suspect line-backing core intact was just dumb. Two of our starters were subpar, and our best backups were all undrafted rookie free agents.

Clowney and a top young linebacker in the 2nd round revamps the defense. Signing a starting Center/Guard tandem (plus the return of Johnson) leaves us with at least a capable offensive line.

[mattlanta]

I honestly hope that we can finish the season on a good note (and with that I mean, I hope we can see significant improvements from our group of young players), but I too would like us to end up with a good enough pick to land Clowney. I won't get my hopes up just yet because of the decent amount of games left to play and the fact that I may be in denial that our team really is THAT bad.

[Icness]

Currently sitting at #3, and both teams picking higher (HOU and STL) need quarterbacks. Not sure if both will take one, but one will for sure. That leaves Clowney or Jake Matthews sitting there, have to think Dimitroff goes with one of those two.

[HMFFL]

Atlanta winning against Washington and Buffalo left a bad taste in my mouth.

I wanted the #1 pick.

[Jamaaliver]

Atlanta winning against Washington and Buffalo left a bad taste in my mouth.

I wanted the #1 pick.

LOL

It's a slippery slope. I wanted us to play better and show improvement, but ending the season 4-12 is probably for the best (because of the draft positioning).

Our offensive line was so terrible this week. But our defense is also ridiculously bad.

We have the #6 pick in each round, but so many holes to fill. If we can't land Clowney I say trade back. Try to end up with a late first rounder and a couple of picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

[ATL Boy]

We really need a pass rusher, if we can't get Clowney at 6 I think we should get Barr: he's not that far off from the South Carolina product, and he even fits our system better. I'd also definitely take Jake Matthews if he falls to us at 6 (I don't think he slips past the Rams though). If we get a pass rusher in the first round, then we have to go O-Line in round 2: maybe Baylor's Cyril Richardson if he falls to us. And, of course, we need defense in the 2nd round if we take Matthews.

[Jamaaliver]

Do we bring back Stephen Jackson next year guys? With all the hoopla surrounding us signing him (and below market value) it'd be a slap in the face to not keep him, right? I would be okay with drafting a RB in the 2nd/3rd round. A big punishing RB. Also, we have to sign a FB that can stay healthy.