With the loss to the LA Chargers on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons moved to 4-9 on the season. Their 4-9 record puts them level with four other teams including the Chargers for the 4th worst record in the NFL.
Tankathon currently has the Atlanta Falcons with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but Atlanta is tied with the Dallas Cowboys, LA Chargers, Carolina Panthers, and Houston Texans at 4-9. The Falcons could conceivably pick as high as third, but fourth is more realistic.
However, things could change quickly with another win. There are five more teams within a game of 4-9 with the Eagles, Giants, Lions, 49ers, and Broncos sitting at 5-8. So the Falcons could pick anywhere from fourth to 13th with the swing of one game.
With three games left in a season that was lost in Week 2 (if not before), it’s not too pessimistic of Falcons fans to be hoping to draft as high as fourth overall, while fearing a drop of nearly 10 spots.
Let’s look at the best case. With the fourth overall pick, the Falcons should have their choice of nearly everyone except the two marquee quarterbacks in the draft, Trevor Lawrence, and Justin Fields, who ironically, both played their high school ball within 30 minutes of Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Tankathon ranks cornerback Patrick Surtain II as the No. 4 overall pick, but corner doesn’t seem like a giant need for this Falcons team with the emergence of A.J. Terrell.
Micah Parsons, the linebacker from Penn State would be a luxury pick for Atlanta with Deion Jones and Foyesade Oluokun being standouts on defense.
Quarterback Zach Wilson of BYU is sitting at the No. 6 spot. He would be an interesting pick. Matt Ryan owns nearly every record for the Falcons franchise, and his numbers stack up historically against most of the greats, but he’s 35. The Falcons have to be considering their quarterback of the future. After Wilson, there’s a decent drop to No. 12 and Trey Lance of North Dakota State, and then no one else in the first round.
The Falcons aim to not be picking in the Top 10 again for several seasons, so this might be their last best chance to get a highly rated quarterback while they still have Ryan playing at a high level.
Should the Falcons drop to 10, give or take a spot in the draft, trading up within the top 10 won’t be as costly as trying to trade into the Top 10.
Zach Wilson. A quarterback to keep an eye on.
