The Falcons weren’t supposed to be this bad in 2019, but after starting 1-7, it’s no longer too early to start looking ahead towards the 2020 NFL Draft.
In Luke Easterling of Draft Wire’s most recent three-round mock draft, Atlanta used all four of its picks to add defensive help. Right now, the team is on track to land the fourth-overall selection.
Unfortunately, the Falcons won’t get a chance to grab Ohio State EDGE Chase Young in this mock, with him instead going No. 3 to the Washington Redskins. That left another highly-touted Ohio State player at a position of need.
Pick No. 4: CB Jeff Okudah – Ohio State
Jeff Okudah, arguably the top corner in the draft, is who Easterling has Atlanta taking with its first-round pick. Read what he wrote about the selection below:
In today’s NFL, you can never have too many quality corners. The Falcons may have more pressing needs elsewhere, but with this pick, they land one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country. Okudah is keeping up the trend of sending blue-chip defensive backs from Columbus to the pros.
Here’s some highlights of Okudah vs. Michigan State:
Pick No. 35: DL Marvin Wilson – Florida State
From there, the Falcons focus on their defensive line — adding Florida State defensive lineman Marvin Wilson with pick No. 35. Wilson does make sense with everyone around Grady Jarrett underachieving in 2019. Another explosive interior defensive tackle could do wonders for the Falcons’ edge rushers next season.
Watch some highlights of Wilson against Miami below:
Pick No. 64: LB Malik Harrison – Ohio State
Atlanta added what is likely to be a late second-round pick from the Patriots in exchange for Mohamed Sanu. That pick would currently be No. 64, and Easterling has the team going with Malik Harrison, linebacker out of Ohio State.
Check out Harrison’s highlights from Ohio State’s game against Indiana below:
Pick No. 68: S Ashtyn Davis – California
Last but not least, it’s safety Ashtyn Davis for the Falcons at pick No. 68. The team needs more depth in its secondary, especially with Keanu Neal coming off of back-to-back season-ending injuries.
Watch these highlights of California’s standout safety from a game against Washington:
