The Atlanta Falcons have been pretty busy in recent days, as the commencement of their pre-draft visits has the spotlight on Ian Cunningham entering his first draft as general manager. And since the Falcons don't have a first-round pick to fall back on, they have a lot to consider with the 48th pick.
One of the many prospects they're looking at is Missouri edge rusher Zion Young, whom Falcons' brass reportedly met with. Young is currently regarded as a late-first or early-second round pick, so him even making it to 48 is one thing, but there's a reason to look into him given the circumstances.
Following the James Pearce Jr. arrest, the Dirty Birds have been searching long and hard for help along the defensive line. They signed Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari to play his role opposite Jalon Walker, but they still don't have someone who is going to strike fear into the hearts of defenses.
The Atlanta Falcons have a lot of red flags to look past with Zion Young
A major role of the 30 visit process is for due diligence, which includes a closer look at character concerns, medicals, and other areas that may typically scare a team off from a certain prospect. This doesn't mean that they'll draft Young, but they clearly want answers from him one way or another.
And in Young's case, the Falcons are likely looking to make sure they aren't drafting another Pearce. The 22-year-old has his fair share of red flags, including a December arrest for driving while intoxicated and speeding that I'm sure many teams want to pinpoint as a one-time mistake from him.
While the Michigan State transfer is a good run defender who would be a good fit in Atlanta's pass rush rotation, is he even worth the risk? I would say so, but this whole discussion could be a moot point since it seems unlikely that he will be available when Atlanta is on the clock for the first time.
Young logged 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss in his senior season, so there's clearly talent there. Nobody is gonna deny that, but at 6-foot-6 and 262 pounds, his lack of pass-rushing juice has left a lot to be desired despite the promise. But maybe Nate Ollie will be able to get the best out of him.
The wounds of the Pearce news are still very fresh, so while I'm sure many Falcons fans are apprehensive about the idea of drafting a prospect with legal trouble, it remains to be seen how Cunningham, Kevin Stefanski, and Jeff Ulbrich will evaluate one of the draft's best edge rushers.