NFL Draft: 5 Falcons First-Round Scenarios
With just a week left before this year's NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons go in with the eighth overall pick.
In most years, the Falcons have gone into the draft with a solid idea of their needs and targets.
But this year is different.
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Sitting at No. 8, Atlanta is in prime position to play a massive role in the momentum of the middle of the first round given their wide range of needs. With strong reasons to take players at three separate positions, the Falcons have a lot of power to create chaos at the beginning of the draft.
Five scenarios for what they could do at No. 8:
1) Fill Biggest Need at WR, Likely Garrett Wilson
Wilson has been arguably the most popular player in mock drafts since the end of Atlanta's season. With losing Calvin Ridley to suspension and Russell Gage in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failing to find proper replacements in free agency, wide receiver is the team's biggest need.
In a year where wide receivers are extremely talented at the top and throughout the draft, the Falcons could draft Wilson and begin an early first-round run on wide receivers, where others like USC's Drake London, Alabama's Jameson Williams and Ohio State's Chris Olave could be selected near the top of the first round.
Likelihood: 30 percent
2) Grab 'Best Player Available', Likely on Defense
Most of the best players available are on the defensive side of the football. During the college football season and before the NFL Combine, Derek Stingley Jr. and Kyle Hamilton were expected to be top picks.
But in recent months, the pair has slipped after other players like Sauce Gardner and Travon Walker's stock grew after the NFL Combine.
At one point considered generational talents, these players could still be available when the Falcons are on the clock, and general manager Terry Fontenot's 'best player available' strategy will lead to adding another piece to the defense.
Likelihood: 20 percent
3) Get Lucky, Draft a Steal in Kayvon Thibodeaux
For a player like Thibodeaux to fall to the Falcons at No. 8, a lot of luck would have to come into play.
If Georgia's Travon Walker truly ended up being Jacksonville's pick at No. 1, then the chances dramatically increase. It would allow Aidan Hutchinson to stay in Michigan and go to Detroit at No. 2, followed by a player like Gardner at No. 3 to the Houston Texans.
The New York Jets would likely grab a receiver, maybe London at No. 4? Follow that up with Evan Neal and Ickey Ekwonu at Nos. 5 and 6, going to the Giants and Panthers.
The final obstacle would be the Giants at No. 7. After selecting a tackle, Charles Cross is off the Giants' board and Thibodeaux is the expected pick. But if the team decides to go for Kyle Hamilton to improve the secondary, that would allow Thibodeaux to fall to No. 8 and there should be absolutely zero reason for the Falcons to pass up on the Oregon pass rusher.
Likelihood: 10 percent
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4) Trade Down, Collect More Assets
The Falcons have also been rumored to trade down in the draft in order to collect more assets. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints have motive to trade up in the draft to grab a quarterback like Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett or Liberty's Malik Willis - and the Falcons should definitely be listening to those calls.
As a team facing a rebuild, the quickest way to move forward is to draft as many picks as possible in hopes of having most of them develop into winning members of the team.
With nine draft picks already and four picks on Day 2, the team could set itself up nicely in the 2023 Draft as well if Fontenot and the front office plays their cards right.
Likelihood: 10 percent
5) Commit to Malik Willis, Bring Him Home
Last year, the Falcons had the opportunity to take a quarterback with a very high pick at No. 4, but the team ultimately decided not to pull the trigger, still rostering veteran Matt Ryan.
Ryan is no longer in Atlanta, which adds reason to bringing on a quarterback, let alone one who could revive the franchise as a local hero.
Marcus Mariota is not enough to sway away from consideration for a quarterback, but if you take one in the top 10, especially someone like Malik Willis, it better hit.
We've seen so many top 10 quarterbacks fail to become the franchise quarterback, and a lot of that had to do with the team's lack of commitment in its new star.
It's one thing to draft a quarterback in the top 10, but it's another to truly commit to him. Willis is someone the fans and the city can easily get behind, and it can give this franchise the start to something special again.
Likelihood: 30 percent
