Falcons Draft DT Who ‘Jumps Off the Tape’ in 2024 NFL Mock Draft
The Atlanta Falcons will give Desmond Ridder a chance to seize their starting quarterback position in 2023, but a scenario certainly exists where the second-year pro doesn't show enough to warrant retaining the job for 2024.
However, the Falcons have built perhaps the best rushing attack in the NFL with Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, so it's entirely possible that even if it's clear that Ridder isn't the answer at quarterback, the Falcons win enough games in a week NFC South this season to push themselves out of the discussion for one of the top prospects at the position in 2024.
In ESPN's latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, Matt Miller has the Falcons picking No. 13 overall, at which point he's projected that USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and Texas' Quinn Ewers will already be off the board. With the top three quarterbacks already taken, Miller has the Falcons selecting LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith.
"He jumps off the tape, and you see it at practice, too," one NFC scout said. "He has legitimate top-10 potential." Smith would be a building block for the Falcons' defense, which recorded a sack on 3.5% of opponent dropbacks last season (last in the NFL).
Let's start with this: it's entirely possible that if the Falcons are picking 13th, Ridder played well enough that the Falcons aren't looking for a new quarterback, at least in the first round.
It's also possible that the Falcons are looking for a quarterback, but with an attractive young core of skill-position talent that also includes receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, Atlanta lures a veteran to replace Ridder.
In any event, Smith would be an interesting addition. The 6-6, 296 pound defensive tackle was the highest-rated high school prospect in Louisiana in 2021, and parlayed that into a freshman season in which he recorded 19 total tackles, five tackles for a loss and four sacks.
However, Smith tore his left ACL celebrating after a big play in LSU's first game of the 2022 season, causing him to miss the rest of the campaign. Smith will miss the first game of the 2023 season, because of "an autograph-related violation that predates the NIL era." Once he returns from what's seemingly a silly suspension, he'll need to prove that he's completely recovered from his ACL tear in order to be a candidate to be a first-round pick in 2024.
Even without a franchise quarterback, the Falcons have used three consecutive top-10 picks on offensive players, taking Pitts, London and Robinson, so a defensive pick may be in order early in next year's draft. If Smith does indeed have a strong year at LSU in 2023, he would be an ideal player to pair with veteran Grady Jarrett on the defensive line as the Falcons hope to become perennial contenders.
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