Sep 20, 2014; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Sean Robinson (10) watches as Southern Illinois Salukis tight end MyCole Pruitt (4) makes a catch at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 NFL Draft is only five days away. All of us here at Blogging Dirty are bursting with excitement to learn who the new additions to the Atlanta Falcons will be.
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- 4 QBs Atlanta Falcons could target in rumored trade for No. 1 pick
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- NFL insider says Atlanta Falcons will make play for No. 1 pick in draft
In the meantime, we realized that each of us had differing opinions on who we thought the Falcons should target in each round and why. What better way to voice our opinions and pass the time until the real draft than by having our very own Blogging Dirty Writers’ Mock Draft?
The Writers’ Mock Draft works like this: each writer will make their pick for the Falcons in each round, based upon who they believe will be available and their perception of the team’s needs. They will then provide a short summary of the pick to explain the reasoning behind it.
This mock assumes no trades, and that the Falcons will be picking based on the official draft order. Let’s get drafting!
Round 5 is generally where you look for quality depth and rotational players with upside as potential starters. There are plenty of good options that should still be available at this point in the draft, particularly at RB and WR. Depth has been an issue for the Falcons in the past, and part of that has stemmed from a lack of solid Day 3 contributors. Let’s hope that Dimitroff and Co. remedy that trend in 2015.
Here are the previous rounds, in case you haven’t seen them yet: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and Round 4.
Who did our writers select with the Falcons’ fifth round pick? Let’s find out!
Kevin Knight
Previous Picks: Round 1 – OLB Randy Gregory; Round 2 – ILB Stephone Anthony; Round 3 – FS Damarious Randall; Round 4 – G Jarvis Harrison
Eric Robinson
Previous Picks: Round 1 – OLB Randy Gregory; Round 2 – FS Derron Smith; Round 3 – G Tre’ Jackson; Round 4 – RB David Johnson
James Hicks
Previous Picks: Round 1 – DE/OLB Bud Dupree; Round 2 – RB Ameer Abdullah; Round 3 – TE Clive Walford; Round 4 – DT Gabe Wright
Adnan Ikic
Previous Picks: Round 1 – OLB Randy Gregory; Round 2 – TE Maxx Williams; Round 3 – CB Alex Carter; Round 4 – G Arie Kouandjio
David Neff
Previous Picks: Round 1 – DE/OLB Bud Dupree; Round 2 – CB/FS Eric Rowe; Round 3 – C/G Ali Marpet; Round 4 – WR Tre McBride
Righteous Chester
Previous Picks: Round 1 – CB Trae Waynes; Round 2 – OLB Eli Harold; Round 3 – RB Jeremy Langford; Round 4 – G Mitch Morse
Harrison Nayler
Previous Picks: Round 1 – OLB Randy Gregory; Round 2 – C/G Ali Marpet; Round 3 – DE Nate Orchard; Round 4 – S Durell Eskridge
Sunny Minhas
Previous Picks: Round 1 – OLB Randy Gregory; Round 2 – CB Jalen Collins; Round 3 – C/G Ali Marpet; Round 4 – RB Mike Davis
Freddie Boston
Previous Picks: Round 1 – DE/OLB Bud Dupree; Round 2 – CB Kevin Johnson; Round 3 – RB Ameer Abdullah; Round 4 – CB Steven Nelson
Aloïs Piet
Previous Picks: Round 1 – DE/OLB Bud Dupree; Round 2 – FS Damarious Randall; Round 3 – WR Tre McBride; Round 4 – RB David Cobb
Clearly the team is looking for hidden talent and developmental prospects at this point in the draft. Once again, no two writers selected the same prospects, which is to be expected with such a large pool of talent at this point in the draft. All in all, there were plenty of different positions selected, including RB, WR, G, CB, ILB, and DE.
The draft is starting to skew towards offense on Day 3. In Round 5, there were six offensive players selected to only three defensive players selected. The most popular position was RB/FB, with three total selections.
Round 5 is an interesting spot in the draft. There are still players that have the talent to start, but usually they come with injury or character concerns. Then there are the developmental players with sky-high potential that might require a season or two to reach the field. Teams that have a history of success, like Seattle most recently, have built up their depth with late-round gems. The Falcons must do this as well.
Stay tuned for Round 6 tomorrow, where we look into even more developmental prospects. There are still players left with legitimate talent, and who knows who the next Tom Brady or Richard Sherman could be?
What do you think of the Round 5 picks? Would you go offense or defense, and who would you take? Do you think there are still starters to be found on Day 3? Share your comments and mock drafts below!
Next: Dirty Bird Daily: Could Falcons turn to T.J. Clemmings?