Atlanta Falcons: Terry Fontenot will sink or swim with his draft selections

Atlanta Falcons general manager, Terry Fontenot, will sink or swim after his first NFL draft this weekend.

Fontenot takes the reigns of the Atlanta Falcons from Thomas Dimitroff who had very few draft successes during his 12 years in charge of the franchise. Dimitroff whiffed on the last several draft classes, especially in the early rounds – with the exception of corner-back AJ Terrell.

With the fourth overall selection in 2021, it will be hard for Fontenot to screw up his first NFL draft.

The talent in this class at the top of this draft is better in recent years. Whether he wants to go quarterback, tight end, tackle, guard, or cornerback, there is plenty of elite talent, and will be really hard for the Falcons to not take starter in the first round.

Atlanta Falcons are in a rebuild mode regardless of who they draft

There seems to be a misconception that the Atlanta Falcons can somehow find three wins and get back into the playoffs – which might be true. However, they aren’t going to be actual contenders and ultimately the goal is to win a Super Bowl not simply make the playoffs.

Remember, Matt Ryan haters have made it abundantly clear that playoff appearances do not matter, that it is Super Bowl or bust.

With that being case, regardless of who the Atlanta Falcons draft this year, they are still going to missing several starters and depth pieces that will take another couple of years to acquire whether it be future free agency or future NFL drafts.

None of that matters unless Fontenot and the Atlanta Falcons nail the draft in front of them.

They have undoubtedly spent thousands of man-hours reviewing tape, conducting player interviews, holding private workouts, and doing background checks in order to prepare their draft board with players that they believe can contribute to righting the ship in Atlanta.

With a new regime and no earthly idea what direction that they will go, Thursday night’s draft will be equally nerve-wracking and enjoyable all at the same time.