Atlanta Falcons: What position would Leonard Floyd play?

If you had of asked the Atlanta Falcons’ fan base two months ago on whether or not they wanted the team to draft Georgia native Leonard Floyd with their first-round pick, most would have said no.

However, here we are just four days and some change away from the draft and the opinion of the fan base has made a complete 180. After seeing Floyd being mocked as high as 11 to the Chicago Bears, it’s starting to look like the fan base would be more than open to picking Floyd at 17 if he is available.

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Floyd played all over the field while in college at the University of Georgia. He played both linebacker and defensive end, but his main job stayed the same. That job was to rush the passer no matter if he was standing up or rushing from the edge and that’s exactly what he would do for the Falcons as well.

While his job title is known, whether or not he will put a hand in the dirt for the Falcons or play more weak side linebacker is unknown at this time. Floyd rushed the passer 60 percent while at UGA but with the Falcons he would rush the passer at least 75 percent of the time regardless of where he lines up.

Sure, Floyd needs to bulk up, but we have already seen signs of that happening. Floyd has already put on 10-15 pounds after ending his final season with the Bulldogs and is well on his way to filling out his 6-foot-6 frame. Floyd was listed as 244 pounds at the scouting combine and could easily reach upwards of 260 pounds after hitting the weights mixed with proper dieting.

If you’re looking for a player that knows how to rush from the edge then Floyd is your guy. He’s a guy that will start out with the Falcons as a sub package guy meaning that he will likely only be on the field in pass rushing situations. He has the ability to drop back into coverage and has good sideline to sideline speed.

But for now he would likely be a standup pass rusher until he adds weight. And once he adds at least another 15 pounds, the options open up for what Floyd could be as an NFL player. Floyd has the potential to be one of the best players in this draft.