Power Rankings: Falcons Playing For Draft Position
The Atlanta Falcons' tenure as playoff contenders came to an end in Sunday's 29-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The defeat dropped the Falcons to 7-9 and means Atlanta will finish below .500 for the fourth consecutive season.
The argument could be made that the Falcons overachieved in the first season under Arthur Smith, despite his urging that it was not a rebuild. Smith laid the groundwork for a winning culture, but the Falcons aren't close to returning to the Super Bowl.
So that leaves the Falcons somewhere in the middle of the league.
Week 17 proved to be exciting, with few upsets that displayed significant separation from the best and worst teams in the league. The Falcons dropped to No. 23 in Sports Illustrated's Week 18 Power Rankings.
As colleague Gary Gramling put it, this is just a not-all-that-fun-to-watch football team. The Falcons are fine. Fine! They are late-season Everybody Loves Raymond reruns. But there are just better options out there. I could compile a list of football guy platitudes to describe what they do reasonably well, but I am about as excited about this team’s long-term prospects as I am plain, unbuttered wheat toast for breakfast.
As teams race to the playoffs, some are jockeying for draft positioning. It appears the Jacksonville Jaguars have locked up the No. 1 pick for a second consecutive year, as a handful of organizations are also in the running for high picks.
Atlanta currently holds the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. As 4.5-point underdogs, the Falcons host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Depending on the outcome, Atlanta can choose anywhere from as high as the No. 7 selection to as low as No. 16.
No matter where the Falcons are selecting, here are four positions that general manager Terry Fontenot can target. The Falcons and Saints will kick off from Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 4:25 p.m ET.
