Atlanta Falcons offseason positional expectations: CB

The Atlanta Falcons should seriously consider investing a lot of draft capital this year.

There are two clear-cut top corners in this draft, that warrant any consideration at pick four: Patrick Surtain II and Caleb Farley.

Surtain is a technician at the position as you would expect from someone with his family pedigree. The son of former NFL corner Patrick Surtain, Surtain II should have a long, productive career in the NFL.

At 6’2″ and 200 pounds he has the size and length to excel in the NFL. He may not be the extreme athlete as Farley but easily has the tools to be a true number one corner.

Where Surtain II is missing in the speed department Farley wins in spades. He reportedly runs in the low to mid 4.3s in the 40 – absolutely blazing speed at his size.

Farley entered college as a quarterback, transitioned to wide receiver, and then finally found his best fit as a corner. While inexperienced his technique is not as lacking as should be expected. He moves well and shows a natural feel for the position.

There is a ton of upside for Farley, with the growth he’s shown as well as physical ability he may prove to be CB1 in this draft. Unfortunately, the injury history is concerning for Farley, he suffered an ACL tear in 2017 and had issues with back spasms in 2019.

Regardless of Farley’s injury expect both he and Surtain to go top 15th at worse, top 10 wouldn’t be a surprise.

If the Falcons aren’t trying to spend the fourth pick on either player there are some great options on day two. At the top of round two Greg Newsome II, Aaron Robinson, Eric Stokes, and Asante Samuel Jr. warrant long hard looks.

Stokes recently logged a 4.28 40 at the House of Athlete Scouting Combine in Fort Lauderdale which will certainly drive him up, draft boards. Asante Samuel Jr. is the son of long-time NFL corner, Asante Samuel.

The family pedigree goes a long way especially since he undoubtedly learned somethings from his dad. Samuel is criticized some for his size but has shown plenty on the field to put those worries to bed.

Newsome II has a ton of potential and would be a great pick in the second round. He does have some injury history that could drive a player of his caliber down the draft board. Robinson is primarily a slot corner and while gifted may not fill the needs of the Falcons unless they find a perimeter corner in free agency and decide they need an improvement over Isaiah Oliver in the slot.

In round three and into day three are some interesting names that can be added for depth. While there are certainly starter caliber players available most will need the right scheme and time to grow.

The Atlanta Falcons will make a splash at corner this offseason

Fully expect to see the Falcons do something significant at the corner position this off-season. Bringing in a seasoned vet to anchor one side while also helping AJ Terrell grow into the best pro he can has a ton of appeal.

If the Atlanta Falcons don’t go the vet route, a corner at pick four should be on the table. Most mock drafts these days have a QB or Penei Sewell and there are a growing number of offensive skill players, either Kyle Pitts or Ja’Marr chase starting to show up as well.

Not many people are looking that hard at cornerback which make it just the type of surprise pick that would make a ton of sense.

Adding another true number one corner for the foreseeable future would go a long way to the success of this new regime.