Atlanta fills multiple holes in latest Matt Miller mock draft

With plenty of holes to fill, the Atlanta Falcons need to have an all-around productive 2020 NFL Draft.

Luckily, that’s exactly what Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller projects for them to do in his latest three-round mock draft.

After an anticipated run of quarterbacks and offensive tackles early in the first round, Miller predicts South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw will slide down to Atlanta with the 16th overall pick.

Miller forecasts the Falcons would take Dayton tight end Adam Trautman and Minnesota defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second round, before grabbing North Carolina edge Jason Strowbridge in the third.

Here’s what Miller wrote about Kinlaw, the monstrous star out of South Carolina:

Javon Kinlaw is a top-10 player in the class, but because of the run on quarterbacks and offensive tackles, the stud defensive tackle falls to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 16 overall. This is an ideal fit for Dan Quinn's defense, as Kinlaw can play next to Grady Jarrett at tackle and even kick outside to defensive end at times. His usage and traits are much like what DeForest Buckner is for the San Francisco 49ers.

Kinlaw supersedes other needs given his talent and value at this point in the draft. While cornerback or an outside pass-rusher are considered needs, the potential of Kinlaw and Jarrett together on the defensive line is the type of investment general manager Thomas Dimitroff can get behind as the Falcons look to be more physical in the trenches in 2020.

Even as a defensive tackle, Kinlaw would bolster Atlanta’s pass rush. In 2019, he tallied six sacks and six tackles for loss. He provides a big body that explodes off the line of scrimmage.

“I haven’t even scratched the surface of my pass rush,” Kinlaw said last week at the NFL Combine. “A lot of the times, I’d just be out there bull-rushing, just walking guys back. So once I get that right coaching, the sky is the limit.”

Kinlaw did not participate in drills at the combine due to knee tendonitis. He will work out at South Carolina’s Pro Day on March 19, which could alter his draft stock.

The pending free agency of Austin Hooper makes tight end a priority for the Falcons, and Adam Trautman is as good of a candidate as any to replenish the position with.

At six-foot-five, 255 pounds, with a 4.8-second 40-yard dash, Trautman has the physical gifts to remain a mismatch against NFL linebackers and safeties. He tore through his FCS competition at Dayton, grabbing 70 catches for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior.

Antoine Winfield Jr. remedies a bunch of shortcomings in Atlanta’s secondary, because he can play outside corner, nickel corner and safety. At the NFL Combine, he said he’d be willing to line up anywhere but prefers free safety.

The former Minnesota Gopher possesses an NFL pedigree — his dad, Antoine Winfield, played in the league for 14 years — and backs it up with solid physical tools and an impressive stat line. In 2019, he racked up 83 tackles, three sacks and seven interceptions for a program that finished 18th in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

Antoine Winfield Jr. has been peppered with questions about his dad. #NFLCombine2020 pic.twitter.com/PDxSGBOLbV
— Chris Vinel (@ChrisAVinel) February 28, 2020

In the third round, the Falcons finally get their much-needed edge defender, although he’s not a great pass rusher. Jason Strowbridge tallied only 2.5 sacks for UNC last year, but he did kick inside a lot, where his job was to gobble up blocks and stuff the run.

With that much talent spread around multiple positions, Miller’s latest Falcons haul is exactly what Atlanta will look to replicate next month.

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