My first Falcons mock (D.J. Moore in the 1st)

[Summerhill]

The theme of my mock is going to be planning for 2019. The Falcons have pretty much all their starters for 2018 set, so I'm doing some strategic planning to make room for the young players who will need contract extensions in 2019 and 2020 by replacing many of the higher paid veteran Falcons players on the roster right now. You can't pay everyone. 

Round 1

D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland

Julio Jones is 29 right now and making a crap ton of money. It's very unlikely he ever gets cut, but he is perpetually injured, which for the most part he has been able to play through, but injuries only get worse the older you get. There has to be a plan in place for the situation he can't play for a month. Mohamed Sanu will turn 29 before the 2018 season starts and is set to count $7.4 million against the cap in 2019. He's a prime cut candidate. 

Moore has been increasingly productive in his 3 years at Maryland and broke out this past season, with some of the worst QB play among Power 5 schools. He has all the athletic measurables you want to see and while he'll never be Julio Jones in his peak, he should project to be a Golden Tate or better level receiver. His coaches and teammates also describe him as an all around great dude, which seems the type Quinn likes. 

Round 2

Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas

Alex Mack will be 34 midway through the 2019 season while carrying a $11 million cap number. Andy Levitre is not under contract for 2019. 

Ragnow is a natural center with the size to play guard if necessary. Scouting reports describe him as a smart player who knows his assignments and is good at getting to the second level. This seems like a good fit for the Falcons scheme. 

Round 3

Derrick Nnadi, DT, Florida State

This is my first pick for a 2018 need. Most posters on here seem to think NT is a position in need of a higher pick than this. I disagree. 4-3 NT is largely a part time one dimensional position. We got spoiled with an elite talent like Poe, but having a player like him is not a necessity. You only need a guy to be able to play around 400 snaps and be strong against the run and offer something as a pocket pusher. I think Nnadi can do that. For obvious passing downs you can play your bigger DEs like Shelby and Crawford inside. What I like best about Nnadi for the Falcons is he is already pretty polished. He's not a developmental pick who will need to work off 20 lbs of baby fat he got away with in college. He's a strong, try hard player. 

Round 4

D'Montre Wade, CB, Murray State

Robert Alford will turn 31 midway through the 2019 season and have a cap hit of $9.1 million. While some might say he's a better player and a better deal than Desmond Trufant, Trufant is not cuttable until 2021 so we're stuck with him. 

I can't say I know much about Wade but I like small school corners once you get into the middle rounds and Wade has decent height and excellent strength to play outside press in the Falcons scheme. Wade also has ability as a returner. 

Round 6

Christian Sam, LB, Arizona State

One of two things is going to happen with DeVondre Campbell. He either wins the starting WLB job and gets a new contract in 2019 or he doesn't and is gone because 4-3 teams just can't spend much money on the SLB position. 

I don't know much about Sam but he is among the only LBs slotted in this area with the size and strength to play SLB. SLB is traditionally a good place for 4-3 teams to cut costs and play players on rookie contracts. 

Round 7

Heck if I know. 

Edited March 30, 2018 by Summerhill

[Vandy]

I say this with all the love I can muster, Summerhill.....but it's best you hear it from a friend....

 

Keep your day job, my man. 

[M@ck]

I think if possible , you could switch the positions at rounds 2 and 3 to be more effective . DT should be addressed before day 3. As a matter of fact we need to double dip at DT..

 

overall tho solid ..

[Summerhill]

5 hours ago, M@ck said:

I think if possible , you could switch the positions at rounds 2 and 3 to be more effective . DT should be addressed before day 3. As a matter of fact we need to double dip at DT..

 

overall tho solid ..

Thanks for the feedback. As far as double dipping at DT, I don't think many people understand how few snaps there are for DT's. Let's look at the champion Eagles. The Eagles defense as a whole faced 976 plays. 

Fletcher Cox: 607 snaps

Timmy Jernigan: 493 snaps

Beau Allen: 423 snaps

Destiny Vaeao: 231 snaps

All the other DT snaps were played by DE's flipping inside. The Falcons already have their Cox type player. Any player drafted in the first 3 rounds will be expected to be the Jernigan. After him, those are just a bunch of guys. You don't need to spend any kind of draft capital to find the next Beau Allen and Destiny Vaeao. I would much rather focus on players who will play more than 300-400 snaps if they pan out.