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General manager Thomas Dimitroff added blocking tight ends Ben Hartsock and Jason Rader and retained promising second-year player Martrez Milner and George Cooper.

The Falcons probably will add another tight end in the draft and likely will look for the best blocking tight end. But there aren't many options for the type of punishing blocker that new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey prefers.

"The one thing that's unique this year, and I think you'll see it for the future, is that with a lot of these college offenses going to three- and four-receiver sets, you're going to see more tight ends flexed out or detached from the line of scrimmage," San Francisco general manager Scot McCloughan said. "They're used more as receivers rather than really blocking tight ends."

The top blocking tight end is California's Craig Stevens. He only caught 51 passes during his career, but he had twice as many pancake blocks. He could be available in the third or fourth round.

Tennessee's Brad Cottam, 6 feet 7, 270 pounds, is the next best blocking tight end.

If the Falcons think Hartsock, Rader and Cooper can handle the blocking, they could go for a pass-catching tight end like Missouri's Martin Rucker, the younger brother of Carolina defensive end Mike Rucker.

Rucker, who played in a spread offense, caught 203 passes. He also has running ability after the catch and can stretch defenses on seam routes.

With his receiving ability, he'd fit best in the new offense as a H-back, moving around and creating mismatches in the passing game.

"You'll see guys who are 6-3, who in the past were too short for a [NFL] tight end, they were considered H-backs," McCloughan said. "I think you'll see more offenses in the NFL going toward using the H-back because of the supply of guys coming out of college these days."

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