Atlanta Falcons 2016 NFL mock draft
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons are spiraling out of control and will likely be picking in the middle of each round in the 2016 NFL Draft, possibly 14th overall.
The Atlanta Falcons have lost their last six games and have the longest current losing streak in the NFL. After starting 2015 out with a promising 5-0 record, the Falcons have lost seven of their last eight games to fall to 6-7 on the season and nearly out of the NFC Wild Card race.
Atlanta will likely miss the NFC Playoffs for the third consecutive year, as poor in-game executing and questionable personnel decisions have bogged this team down for years. While owner Arthur Blank has said that head coach Dan Quinn’s job is safe, this may be the end of general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s tenure in Flowery Branch.
Outside of hitting on most of his first round picks, Dimitroff has struggled mightily with selecting players in the middle-to-late rounds of NFL Drafts. Every player he took in the 2012 NFL Draft is not only not on the team anymore, but are out of football only after three seasons.
Atlanta needs to draft well in 2016, especially since the Falcons don’t have two of their late-round picks. The Falcons have to forfeit their fifth round pick in 2016 as a result on the both underwhelming and embarrassing Noisegate Scandal. Dimitroff and Quinn chose to trade away 2016’s sixth round pick as one of two picks to acquire starting left guard Andy Levitre from the Tennessee Titans.
The Falcons have several needs on both sides of the football including linebacker, safety, wide receiver, center, and quarterback. With only five picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Falcons will have to make the most of their first four picks to have another successful draft under Quinn. Here is what the Atlanta Falcons could do with their five draft picks in 2016.
Next: First Round