Atlanta Falcons: The late-round QB market in 2021

The late-round QB market for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Atlanta Falcons won’t be going after a quarterback in the early-rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean they won’t select one before it’s all said and done.

The Falcons made the decision to restructure Matt Ryan’s contract and that means they’re going to have the quarterback on the roster at least for the next two seasons. That means all those NFL Mock Drafts that had the Atlanta Falcons taking a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick were mistaken.

But, just because the Falcons won’t be addressing the position with the No. 4 overall pick, doesn’t mean they won’t address it all.

While there is a significant drop-off between the top five quarterbacks in this draft class and the rest, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a diamond in the rough.

Here’s a look at some of the names that will be available on Day 2 and Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft who are worth of a draft pick.

• Jamie Newman (Wake Forest)
• Kyle Trask (Florida)
• Kellen Mond (Texas A&M)
• Sam Ehlinger (Texas)
• Ian Book (Notre Dame)
• KJ Costello (Mississippi State)

The Atlanta Falcons could strike gold in ‘Tom Brady’ fashion with a late-round QB pick. If not, they’re not out of much.

Every draft pick is valuable, no doubt.

But if you get to Round 4-7 (maybe even Round 3) and you’re looking at a quarterback prospect, let’s not pretend that there is an abundance of starter-level options. Yes, we see starters emerge all the time in the mid-rounds and late-rounds, but they’re the exception, not the standard.

Tom Brady, for example, was an exception.

Do we see the same raw attributes that Brady possessed in any of the quarterbacks listed above? No. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have the ability to one day develop into a franchise quarterback.

Jamie Newman has elite arm strength. Ian Book shows good accuracy. Sam Ehlinger carried Texas at times during his career. KJ Costello, Kellen Mond and Kyle Trask all have attributes to be intrigued.

We’re not saying that any of these guys are going to truly develop into star quarterbacks- and we’ll give you a rundown of our analysis of each prospect in the near future- but that doesn’t mean they would be a bad pick.

No matter what you think of the group listed above, the truth is that they’re the late-round QB prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft. Take it or leave it, this is the market.