The Atlanta Falcons should consider drafting Jordan Davis

The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine has officially ended, and one could make note of Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith being in attendance. After all, with the team picking in the top 10 of the draft next month, the men showing off their skills prior to their pro days could make a lasting first impression.

Of course, some individuals during that time decided to post about Calvin Ridley making a presence on Twitter, but to that, leave it to Grayson Freestone’s incredible piece regarding that subject.

In recent days, after the trading of franchise icon Matt Ryan to Indianapolis and some less-than-stellar wide receiver signings, the Falcons are firmly in the draft seat right now.

To many, the Falcons should grab a quarterback with the eighth overall selection, but even then, that’s a huge risk.

Let’s be real: there’s always a chance that Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, or Matt Corral could work out. That said, while the offense is a glaring weakness, the first overall pick should be defensive-oriented. Does anyone remember the old saying “defense wins championships”?

Yeah, that still rings true today.

Because of that, let’s focus on someone who’s garnered a great reputation and furthered that claim in Indianapolis: Georgia Bulldogs interior defensive lineman Jordan Davis.

Assuming he’s on their board, the Atlanta Falcons should strongly consider pairing Davis with Grady Jarrett on the interior.

Again, let’s put formalities out there. The Falcons need help everywhere, and regardless of who gets selected, there will be backlash. No pick is universally liked, and even in Atlanta, that’s evident.

Here’s the case for Davis: not only was he an SEC great on Georgia’s National Championship team, that entire starting front seven has garnered first-round buzz. Most notably, the front four got the main hype, and at the Scouting Combine, Davis and running mate Devonte Wyatt dominated their drills.

Furthermore, how many Falcons fans clamor for the team to either A) draft only players in the SEC due to the level of competition or B) want Georgia players since Athens is just over an hour from Atlanta?

In the case of Davis, one thing truly caught many scouts’ and fan’s eyes: his speed in some of the drills.

While his 10-yard split came in at a shocking 1.68 seconds, his jaw-dropping, 4.78 40-yard-dash at 341 pounds (!) is what really stood out.

For reference, this is the fastest 40 in NFL history for a man of his size, beating former first-round pick of the Chiefs (and later a minor signing by Atlanta) Dontari Poe (4.98 at 347 pounds).

While the Combine doesn’t usually translate to the NFL, yes, a man like this running like that is pretty intimidating.

So let’s put out some other names the Falcons could pick: Kyle Hamilton, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Derek Stingley, Kayvon Thibodeaux, or Malik Willis. All of these are possible if they’re available, but we have to keep in mind Fontenot’s plan: the team won’t select based on “need” because that’s usually a reach.

In that case, this hope of selecting Davis could very well fall into that category of a reach since the team needs extra help on the defensive line.

This may be a little overreaction, but if Davis comes to Atlanta, this pairing has the feel of what Tampa Bay has on their front four: a dominating veteran presence (Tampa in Suh, Atlanta in Grady) paired with a massive hulk next to them on the interior (Vea for Tampa, Davis if drafted).

Essentially, the “A” gap would be plugged up successfully, and most opponents’ interior offensive linemen, while definitely better than Atlanta’s, would struggle to consistently block both, which could even benefit the limited amount of pressure off the edge as the guards can’t assist both the center and tackles simultaneously.

To this point, there are a lot of unknowns between now and the draft at the end of April.

All we can do at this point is wait and see what this regime has in store for the future of our Falcons.