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I’m no draft expert. I’m like most of you who are avid fans. I can’t tell you if player x should be drafted 19th instead of 14th, so this doesn’t focus on that. What’s done is done. We drafted and so did all the other teams. So what does it mean now to falcon fans like you and I? The Good 1. An Offensive Draft - Like it or not, while we have talked about the Falcons becoming a defensive team; we are now 100% officially an offensive team. Our identity is offense. We will live or die on offense over the next 3-5 years which is what many consider our (window) for a SB victory. 2. No unicorns - From various post and pre draft reports, the falcons wanted to and did make efforts to trade up and grab a defensive player, but were not willing to give away too much to move up to those spots. I wanted an O-lineman, but like many of you would love, love, love to see a monster DE or DT that can crush or opponents QB on every 3rd down of the game....heck, even 50% of the third downs would be nice. However, I think these guys are Unicorns. They don’t really exist. Ya, Kalil Mack and a few others are elite pass rushers, but even they get stonewalled against good teams who scheme to add protection or throw the ball quickly. If opponents can execute these and other tactics, they negate your best player. With that said, how many teams have an elite pass rusher? Maybe 3 or 4 teams? That’s why I say these guys are Unicorns. They can’t be found, but everyone keeps trying to find them by drafting what they hope will be the next elite pass rusher. Consider this as well; with the new rules and the yet to be seen replay anything rule will likely further give advantage to offense. If your elite Pass rusher does get to the QB, there is a likely chance he will draw a 15 yard penalty because he hit to hard, or his hand brushed the side of the QB’s helmet or any number of other infractions. So, how helpful is that pass rusher you gave up 3 picks to move up 5 spots to get? Yes, if you can build that elite D, you win, but eyeball the Pats D. How many elite pass rushers so they have? But they play situational football and have a great scheme to always take high value players out of the game. So we didn’t chase a unicorn and instead we got two giants who may or may not have been the “best” value at the spot we got them, but we got them and I’m confident they will help our O- Line. We will get value from them on every offensive down this team plays for the next several years. A pass rusher may stop a TD from happening, but an O lineman helps deliver every TD your teams scores. 3. No Half Measures - when we picked a guard, I was puzzled. But then when we move up to get the 31st pick and got another tackle, things started to make sense. Add these two picks to the FA signings and this is a clear and obvious message to the NFL. The message is “we plan to be Offensive in 2019.” We will have 5 bona-fide starters in 2019 on the O-Line. We will dominate the time of possession, we will run the ball, and we will make big plays down field. We will be offensive. 4. Best D is an offensive offense. By chewing the clock, ground and pound and ultimately putting 7 on the board, our defense will get better and more opportunistic. They will also be fresher in the 4th QTR. DQ will dial these guys into a solid D. The Bad: Big & Nasty - I read an article that I guess was supposed to denigrate our 31st pick by telling a story about him getting po’d and cutting the speaker wire on the sound in the weight room. Lol. I love this story and it makes me love this guy even more. Ya. F-Ya! Get some! This is a guy that will take it personal. This is a guy who will make a defensive player stop, drop and roll if they take a cheap shot on MR2. This is a guy that by the 4th qtr will have worn down the guy playing across from him both physically and mentally, then spend the last 4 minutes telling him how he banged his mom. Love it. Rumbler - Again, I cant watch college highlight tapes and see how that converts to the NFL, but I can see that our new RB is big and fast. Can he produce in the NFL? I don’t know, but I do know we should have an OLine that will at least give the guy a chance to be a factor in the game. The ugly: Fast and furious - The late rounds reminded me of my old girlfriend. DQ said, if I can’t get top talent, I’ll settle for speed and coach em up. I think the first CB from Ohio State CB and the last guy we drafted as a potential kick returner both ran in the 4.3 range. That’s fast. It would be nice to see our return game finally develop now that Armstrong is gone, If you question the OLine moves this offseason, just go see what a diff it made for Indy last year. If these guys are half as good as DQ thinks they are we will improve out O line 100% If they are any better, we will,be back to dropping 40 burgers on teams next year. I expect to go to a game this year and carry the letter O and a piece of fence. It’s all about the O.