B
Atlanta Falcons
No fireworks, just a tidy B for the Falcons.
by jburd ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Falcons spent No. 145 on Jared Wiley, a name the board had a full 51 spots lower. No fireworks, but a solid B.
On value alone, Ford makes the weekend a net positive. Leaving running back unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Small wins on the phones, but wins all the same. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
Olumuyiwa Fashanu at No. 9 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
You do not let a wide receiver like Keon Coleman reach the Round 2 slot and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
McKinnley Jackson in pick 74 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach on Sedrick Van Pran in pick No. 75; the board had better options right there. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jordan Travis. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jared Wiley at Round 5, Pick 9 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Nothing to complain about; Ethan Driskell went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Jaylan Ford still on the board at pick 201. It patches a soft spot without any drama.