Falcons Mock Draft: How To Improve at LB
Could the Atlanta Falcons get more linebacker help in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft? A recent 2022 NFL mock draft at CBSSports.com thinks that’s a possibility.
Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com put together a mock draft after Week 1 of the NFL Draft, and he had the Falcons taking South Carolina linebacker Kingsley Enagbare, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior.
According to Wilson:
The Falcons couldn't muster much of anything in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, and targeting a quarterback here might make some sense, but instead we have them bolstering a defense that has been problematic for several seasons now. Enagbare is a twitchy edge rusher who uses speed and power to get into the backfield.
Enagbare is coming off a 2020 in which he earned First-Team All-SEC honors from both the league’s coaches and Phil Steele. He led the Gamecocks with six sacks in 2020.
So far this season, Enagbare has played in games and while he has just three tackles, he already has two tackles for loss and two sacks.
The Falcons are coming off a 32-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener. Defensively, the Falcons sacked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts just one time, with Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, the third-year player from UCLA, bringing Hurts down.
The Falcons have released their depth chart for their Week 2 game with Tampa Bay, and Tuioti-Mariner is listed as one of three potential starters as the outside linebacker position, along with Steven Means and Brandon Copeland. The Falcons are also hoping that Dante Fowler Jr. will have a bounce-back season in 2021. Last season he had just three sacks and agreed to take a $7 million pay cut to help the Falcons get under the salary cap.
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You can reach Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
