Atlanta Falcons Could Land WR with Upside Later Than Expected

Now that the NFL Combine is behind us, it's now time for the NFL Draft hopefuls to begin preparing for their pro days. Those individual interviews could be another chance for some players to move up or down on draft boards, with a team's assessment on how quickly a player can pick up the playbook and begin making an impact holding some weight to balance with their physical tools.

The Atlanta Falcons have a chance to land a player that had been projected as a second rounder earlier this offseason, but is now dropping into the fourth round in terms of where he's ranked.

Coming out of the NFL Draft Combine, Stanford's Elic Ayomanor ended up ranked No. 16 among the wide receivers at the combine with a draft grade of 6.19. ESPN is now ranking him as the No. 109 draft prospect, which would put him right around the middle of the fourth round if he were to be selected with the No. 109 pick of the NFL Draft.

Going in order, the Miami Dolphins would have the No. 109 pick, selecting 13th in the fourth round, but going off of NFL.com's team needs, a wide receiver may not be on their list of targets at that point.

The Chicago Bears (No. 10) could select Ayomanor a few spots early, but the teams in this grouping--the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts--aren't in need of a wideout. That could clear the way for Ayomanor to slip to the Falcons at pick No. 111.

Atlanta finished at 8-9 last season, on the outside of the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. Their top pass catcher last season was third-year receiver and former first rounder Drake London, who hauled in 100 passes for a total of 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. Behind him was Darnell Mooney, who caught 64 passes for 992 yards, and Ray-Ray McCloud's 62 catches for 686 yards.

Ayomanor may not represent an immediate upgrade, but he will at the very least be a nice backup option for any team that drafts him. That is, to start his career at least. The hope would be that he could develop into a starter in the early stages of his career.

The Stanford product measured in at 6-foot-1 and 3/4 while weighing 206 pounds. HIs arm length is 32 3/8 while his hand spans to 10 inches. All of those scream pro, though with only two college football seasons under his belt, there will be some development that will need to be done in order for him to reach his full potential.

If he's still around for the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round, that could be a huge get for them that late in the Draft. Ayomanor has the tools to have tremendous success in the NFL, but how that looks will depend upon which team selects him, and what the situation he's walking into looks like.

It would be ideal if they have their QB situation figured out in short order.