The Atlanta Falcons only have six picks in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft. Can Atlanta do enough this spring to get back to Super Bowl LII?
Last season was an outstanding year for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons made the NFC Playoffs for the first time since 2012 and reached their second Super Bowl in franchise history. While the second-half of Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots didn’t go so well for Atlanta, the Falcons should have one of the better teams heading into 2017.
Even though they didn’t have a lot of holes to address this offseason, the pressure is on general manager Thomas Dimitroff to knock it out of the park in the NFL Draft. He drew great scrutiny last year for some of his selections. It turns he was right on guys like Keanu Neal, Deion Jones and Austin Hooper.
Atlanta only has six picks in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft, tied with the Buffalo Bills for the fewest in the league. Here is when the Falcons will be picking in the draft and where they could go with their picks.
Round 1 – 31st overall
Round 2 – 63rd overall
Round 3 – 77th overall
Round 4 – 120th overall
Round 5 – 157th overall
Round 5 – 179th overall
Round 6 – 197th overall
Round 7 – 231st overall
At the back-end of round one, look for the Falcons to go with either a pass rusher or an interior offensive linemen. Expect pass rusher to be the more likely of the two picks, as Atlanta really needs a young guy to pair with Vic Beasley along the outside. The Falcons do have a big need at guard after veteran Chris Chester called it a career after the 2017 NFL season.
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Since head coach Dan Quinn can never have enough defensive backs in his Cover 3 scheme, look for Atlanta to use at least one of its six picks on a safety or a cornerback. It wouldn’t be all that shocking to see Atlanta target another tight end or wide receiver in day three.