Weekly Falcons Experts Roundtable

Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The offensive and defensive lines are the two obvious positions of need in the draft this year, what would you say is the third-most important?

Jake Bennett: I have to go Free Safety here.  Atlanta needs a FS with long range, and sound tackling technique.  Jairus Byrd fits the bill, but will undoubtedly command top dollar. If the Falcons actually sign Jairus to a contract, they would have one of the most fierce secondaries in the league with Trufant, Alford, Moore, and Byrd.

Ben Sullivan: I’m going to go with tight end here. With the Falcons losing Tony Gonzalez, they don’t have anyone ready to step up and take his place, especially in the passing game. For Matt Ryan and the offense to carry the team, which they will need to do next year for them to win games, he’ll need a reliable threat over the middle and in the red zone.

Ben Grazebrook: The offensive and defensive lines are obviously the priorities in the draft this year but what should the Falcons focus on outside of the two lines? For me the number three priority for the Falcons is upgrading the tight end position. Toilolo is a nice red zone target and project for the Falcons to hopefully mold into something useful, he is however not ready to handle the starting position. The Falcons will ideally grab a tight end who can start from day one and who at the very least is able to provide a legitimate target on third down.