Arthur Blank hints where Falcons may lean in 2020 NFL Draft
The Atlanta Falcons took extreme measures to fix the offensive line last off-season, which may go unbeknownst to the casual viewer who watched Matt Ryan get sacked nine times by the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night.
They selected not one, but two offensive lineman in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft in guard Chris Lindstrom (14th overall) and tackle Kaleb McGary (31st overall). Both of these players proved to be fairly effective when healthy in the 2019 season, and despite some struggles they both seem to be promising players.
They turned to free agency as well, signing guards Jamon Brown and James Carpenter to regrettable contracts. Carpenter signed a four-year, $21 million contract in 2019. He would go on to battle injuries and play only 11 games in what Pro Football Focus graded as his worst season in the past six years. Brown signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract in 2019, and ranked 65th out of 83 guards on PFF (subscription required).
With free agency biting the Falcons in 2019, and ultimately leaving them in a very difficult cap situation, Blank spoke late last week to AtlantaFalcons.com's Matthew Tabeek about what the team may do to address the holes up front:
We have another hole I think at left guard. We have some talented young players there, but we'll probably look at that position I assume during the draft.
The Falcons will probably look to move on from one of Brown or Carpenter if they do indeed draft a guard, and with Brown having less money remaining on his deal it may be him. With Alex Mack, Jake Matthews, Lindstrom and McGary all returning, the club is seemingly looking for a left guard to complete the starting offensive line. If they drafted one without cutting Brown or Carpenter, they would have three and way too much money tied up in the position.
Blank continued to speak to Tabeek on what else the team may do, as they have three of the first 55 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
We'll look at the defensive line, particularly the ability to rush and put pressure (on quarterbacks). We didn't do a great job of stopping the run last year, I think that's an area we can improve upon. So there are a number of areas that we can look at in this draft – corners are fairly deep, and so I think that's potentially another area I think we'll look at.
With Blank obviously being a voice in the room more than directly a decision maker, his voice has an obvious weight attached to it. Frankly, as much as some fans may hate the owner being involved in football decisions, the positions Blank has highlighted here are areas of need and probably should be addressed in the draft at some point.
It remains to be seen what the Falcons will ultimately do on draft day, but with the franchise being set at marquee positions like quarterback and wide receiver for the foreseeable future, it makes great sense for the front office to address the areas of need outlined by Blank.
