NFL Draft 2016: Five worst picks of the first round

Keanu Neal, Safety — Atlanta Falcons, Pick No. 17

Especially with the Raiders reaching so hugely to take Karl Joseph at No. 14, the Atlanta Falcons were seemingly put into a tough spot at the No. 17 pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Especially if they were targeting a safety to try and sure up the back end of the secondary, they really weren’t left with many options. Subsequently, they made a selection that most everyone would construe as a big reach to take strong safety Keanu Neal out of Florida.

Neal is definitely an intriguing prospect for a number of reasons. If you just watch his film superficially over his time with the Gators, you’re going to think that he’s the next big thing coming into the NFL. The safety can undoubtedly unload on opponents as one of the heaviest hitters in this entire draft—not just at the safety position. However, he has flaws in terms of his coverage abilities and he’s going to need to learn quickly if the Falcons need him to play right away.

Since Atlanta was picking in the middle of the first round, you’d definitely think that they would be smart enough to look for a player that could legitimately contribute on the field immediately. However, the Falcons clearly didn’t do that by selecting Neal at No. 17 as there’s that cloud of uncertainty about his potential as a pro. As such, it definitely appears that the Falcons made a mistake by not trading down or by simply not taking someone else like a somehow-still-available-after-the-first-round Myles Jack or someone else that would be of much greater value to them immediately.

Next: No. 1 Leonard Floyd