The Falcons are still getting killed by most of the media for their decisions in the 2019 NFL draft. Most of the criticism centers around their two first-round picks: Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom and Washington offensive tackle Kaleb Mcgary.
Both picks were considered big reaches by some and were the main reason why they had the lowest return on investment of any team in the draft according to the Consensus Big Board.
Draft capital is every NFL team’s most precious resource and it’s difficult to argue that they couldn’t have gotten more value with those picks. However, if you watched Atlanta close last season it’s not hard to see why they ignored traditional draft thinking and went all out to focus on their offensive line.
According to Next Gen Stats, the Falcons allowed 204 quarterback pressures last season. Only the Vikings gave up more.
Lindstrom and Mcgary are the headliners but they’re not the only new faces up front.
Before the draft, Atlanta also spent a lot of resources on the unit in free agency, bringing in three new guards in James Carpenter, Jamon Brown and Adam Gettis, plus another offensive tackle with the veteran John Wetzel.
If Carpenter, McGary and Lindstrom all start along with Alex Mack and Jake Matthew’s, it will be the first time in league history a team starts five first-round picks.
