Falcons at the Combine

What a great time of year this is. The NFL combine is just hours away and I am excited as all hell.

Let’s get it started and jump right in with Falcons draft needs shall we?

 The birds are doing well in terms of roster issues. Heck we franchised a punter folks! This means that we are in a good enough position to focus on building our team with the best players we can.  So the question is where will the Falcons braintrust be looking this year and most importantly who are they looking for?

 While I cannot answer the who I can certianly guess on the where…..

 1. Tight End: This is a position that needs an upgrade. Not that Justin Peelle is bad, he just wasn’t that well used. The birds will look to see about a possible Alge Crumplertype pass catching beast to open up the short receiving duties to allow for more offensive options.  I don’t know enough about the contenders for this position quite yet but the NFL network will have televised coverage on 2/21 so I will see whom I like and list my favs here.

 2. Offensive Line: I will say that there are positions that need to be addressed every year and the impact of a great offensive line guy can be amazing in terms of team success, Sam Baker comes to mind.  If you ask this guy I say that you get an offensive lineman anytime you possibly can because they take a long time generally speaking to mature and injuries are plentiful in these ranks.

 3. Defensive End: John Abraham isn’t getting any younger and Jamal Anderson, while being a heck of a great guy in the Atlanta community hasn’t proven himself a QB killer just yet. So, what does this mean? I say we plan for the future, add somebody to the rotation if we can but this is by no means a need position this year. We did well with Kroy Biermann in a back up role and I look for Kroy to get more playing time this year too.

 4. Defensive Tackle: The needs are somewhat plentiful with both size and age concerns somewhat concerning here.  Johnathan Babineaux is a bit small for a DT but shows such persistence that he plays larger than he really is and it is age 27 that makes me so happy because he has a lot left in the tank and I think he stops the run well. If the Falcons can get a true run stopper ie. Grady Jackson who is 36 then we can build for our run stopping future.

 5. Defensive Backs: Safety is a need with the age of Lawyer Milloy a more prominant issue with each passing year but it is so important to get someone to can learn from one hell of a safety and take the reins in the even of retirement or injury. 

 6. Linebacker: Keith Brooking is aging, he could possibly be out of the Falcons organization quite soon and his impact in the locker room and importance on the field cannot be overstated. This is an almost luxury pick because of the other talent we have starting in Curtis Lofton and  Michael Boley but, we need depth and that is so important when discussing the injury issue. 

 So there we have it. We have six spots that I see needs. I will be checking back in soon to see what others think and to update on my findings.

                                                                                                       Go Falcons!