Daniel Jeremiah is one of the most well-respected media members in football, especially when it comes to evaluating talent, but he has a very interesting selection for the Falcons in his first mock draft. It goes without saying, this is a critical draft for Terry Fontenot and company. They’ve built up some momentum as a regime for the way things panned out in Year 1, but all of that can come to a screeching halt with one poor draft class.
Once again, the Falcons don’t have very much money to spend in free agency, so if they want to take a step forward in 2022, most of these selections will have to hit, especially the first one. Jeremiah has the Falcons addressing arguably their biggest need.
Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
The Falcons have some uncertainty at the wide receiver position, and they need to add more firepower to their offense. Head coach Arthur Smith had tremendous success with A.J. Brown in Tennessee, and Burks is a taller version (6-3, 225) of the third-year Titan. He is incredibly strong at the catch point and his blend of speed/strength creates huge plays after the catch.
Some may have yet to come to grips with it, but if Calvin Ridley is indeed traded, wide receiver is the team’s most glaring need heading into the offseason, even more so than the trenches, as crazy as it sounds. Right now, assuming Ridley starts next season on another team, Frank Darby, who had two catches in 2021, is the only receiver on the roster. The position needs to be addressed multiple times during the offseason, and the first round of the draft isn’t a bad place to start.
Like most people, I would like the Falcons to focus on defense and the offensive line, so that’s where my attention would be in the first round. However, Fontenot has stated profusely that he will take the best player available, regardless of position. So if Burks is who he has highest on his draft board, this is a reasonable selection.
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