Atlanta Falcons: Trey Lance compared to Cam Newton

If Atlanta Falcons do draft a quarterback, they can’t afford to fail in evaluation

The Atlanta Falcons could go any direction they choose with the No. 4 overall pick, but many NFL experts think they’ll take a quarterback.

If you’ve been keeping up with NFL Mock Drafts over the last month, you’ve probably noticed a trend among analysts as to which way they see the Atlanta Falcons going when they’re on the clock. Some have the Falcons going after Justin Fields, others have Zach Wilson, and yet others have Trey Lance. No matter who they have, though, the consensus stays the same in terms of position.

At least for the most part.

While we’re not quite sold on the Falcons going after a quarterback with that No. 4 overall and believe that’s a sign of waving the white flag on the Matt Ryan era, one thing is for certain: If the Falcons are going to go that direction, they absolutely can’t afford to fail in evaluation.

Atlanta Falcons fans have differences in opinions when it comes to who the franchise should draft, but we like this comparison

If the Falcons were to go quarterback, perhaps the most intriguing option is Trey Lance.

Lance- at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds- has elite arm strength and shows all the potential in the world for being an elite quarterback at the next level, but there’s one problem: He has only played at the FCS level.

If the Falcons were going to bring in a developmental project with high upside, he might very well prove to be the top target.

In his weekly comps, Matthew Tabeek compared Lance to former NFL MVP Cam Newton.

"Yes, Lance can flick the ball downfield 60-plus yards but it’s not fair to compare him to Mahomes. Not yet anyway. No, I think more of Cam Newton coming out of Auburn, to be honest. And even that’s probably not fair, either. Newton won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 and the level of competition was much more talented.Still, that’s who I think of when I watch Lance."

Everyone is quick to want to find the ‘next Patrick Mahomes’ during draft season, but the truth is that Mahomes is a one-of-a-kind quarterback.

The traits are there for Lance to be a successful quarterback at the next level- measurables, arm strength, accuracy, mobility- and those are some of the same things we saw out of Cam Newton when he entered the draft. Of course, as Beek points out, it’s not necessarily fair to compare Newton- who was playing an SEC schedule and won a National Championship- to Lance- who only played one year of FCS competition.

Still, he’s an intriguing prospect nonetheless and one that Falcons fans should keep their eyes on as we head closer to the NFL Draft.