The Atlanta Falcons have made a name for themselves as a franchise that does the unexpected on Draft night. Last year, they stunned the country by selecting Michael Penix Jr. (a move that has proven to be correct).
But this year things are much different. Despite holding the No. 15 pick, they somehow landed a top-five prospect whom two of their NFC South rivals inexplicably passed on and took a player at No. 26 that they wanted to take at No. 15. Then, for the cherry on top, the Buccaneers addressed their deepest position by taking a fringe first-rounder at No. 19.
Falcons are clearly the winners of Day 1 in the NFC South (and maybe the entire NFL)
Let's take a quick look at the player each NFC South team took on night one, where they took them, and where they rank on Daniel Jeremiah's big board:
- Panthers at No. 9: Tetairoa McMillan (DJ's No. 19 player)
- Saints at No. 9: Kelvin Banks Jr. (DJ's No. 27 player)
- Falcons at No. 15: Jalon Walker (DJ's No. 5 player)
- Buccaneers at No. 19: Emeka Ebuka (DJ's No. 18 player)
- Falcons at No. 26: James Pearce Jr. (DJ's No. 33 player)
Do a quick '+/-' and the Panthers sit at -10, Saints -19, Falcons +10 w/ Walker, -7 w/ Pearce, and Buccaneers +1.
Obviously, these are just the opinions of one analyst. Each team took their player for a reason, but it feels like each team, except the Falcons, narrowed their view too much.
Each of these teams needed a pass rusher, and the Falcons are the only ones who addressed the position, somehow landing a top-five player. Then, to follow that up, they landed the player they wanted at No. 15 at No. 26.
Pearce isn't seen as highly by Jeremiah as others but he does say he has "double-digit sack potential." Sounds pretty good to me.
Overall, ask any analyst and they will point right at the Dirty Birds as the early winners in the NFC South. We still have a long way to go, but Terry Fontenot is the luckiest man in the Draft.