2024 NFL Mock Draft: Falcons Use Another Top Pick on Skill-Position Player
Would the Atlanta Falcons really use a fourth-consecutive top-10 pick on a skill-position player?
A new mock draft projects that after taking tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson with high first-round picks in each of the last three years, Atlanta will go back to the skill-position well for a fourth year in a row.
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Yahoo! Sports' Nate Tice projected recently that the Falcons will use the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on LSU receiver Brian Thomas.
"He can take the top off defenses but he is not a vertical-only stiff," Yahoo! wrote. "His route running improved throughout the year and he started to show more branches to his route tree, with the bend and footwork of a much smaller player. He consistently wins on breaking routes from the outside, with the hands to finish the play. Thomas already shows the makings of a true X receiver at the next level, and should get only better."
Obviously, the No. 1 priority for the Falcons is finding a franchise quarterback. Tice, though, projects that they'll do that either via free agency or trade, with North Carolina's Drake Maye, USC's Caleb Williams and LSU's Jayden Daniels all off the board well before Atlanta goes on the clock.
The Falcons have used three straight top-10 picks on skill-position players, and while it can be debated whether that's a good way for general manager Terry Fontenot build a team, all of Pitts, London and Robinson have flashed star potential. However, there is a feeling that coach Arthur Smith hasn't gotten the most out of the three young talents, and it's possible that if the 7-8 Falcons aren't able to sneak into the playoffs, it will cost him his job.
Regardless of who is coaching and quarterbacking for the Falcons in 2024, the team could use a complimentary wideout to pair with London. In this mock, three receivers -- Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU's Malik Nabers and Washington's Rome Odunze -- are off the board before the Falcons get a chance to take their pick.
There's quite a bit to like about Thomas, though. The 6-foot-5, 198-pound receiver has 60 catches for 1,079 yards and 15 touchdowns. His addition would make the Falcons offense that much more imposing on paper, and more frustrating if Smith is coaching the team and doesn't find a way to build an explosive offense.
