By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The NFL Draft is a magical time. It is both a beginning and an ending.

One door shuts on the college career of young and hungry hopefuls, while the door to their professional career opens wide.

It’s a time of hope for fans as well, as they look for their favorite team to draft the players that will turn them around or help them take the next step.

People will debate until they are blue in the face which college player should be drafted at what point in the draft, or who is the best fit for what team and who will be the player that falls the farthest. The point is everyone has an opinion about the NFL Draft and that includes Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, apparently.

Word is that Ryan sent a text message to the Falcons’ General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, thanking him for drafting offensive linemen with both their first and their second picks in the Draft. That says something profound about how badly Ryan needed protection after season that saw him get hit third-most in the league and sacked eighth-most.

Those offensive linemen were Chris Lindstrom at 14 and Kaleb McGary, whom the Falcons traded up for to draft 31^st overall.

Lindstrom is a guard from Boston College and McGary played right tackle at Washington, though he could also be moved to guard.

Lindstrom was not likely the 14^th best player in the Draft, but the Falcons made a statement by drafting him and by trading their 2^nd and 3^rd round picks in order to get McGary in the first round. The O-line is going to be better this year come hell or high water.

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Falcons signed two offensive guards during the offseason in Jamon Brown and James Carpenter.

It seemed fairly likely that those two would be starting for Atlanta come September, but with these two draft picks it now seems like a competition for those positions will be on. These are choices that potentially improve the team by leaps and bounds.

After missing the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds, the Falcons picked up cornerback Kendall Sheffield from Ohio State. Sheffield’s game is his speed and will play an important role for the team, if his pectoral injury doesn’t plague him the way it plagued Desmond Trufant.

Dimitroff then took John Cominsky, a Defensive End from Charleston, for his second pick in the 4^th round. He’s got size and versatility, and his presence could keep the likes of Vic Beasley, Jr. and Takk McKinley on their toes and motivated.

Round 5 saw the Falcons draft a running back from Pittsburgh by the name of Qadree Ollison. Ollison is a big dude and should be capable of brining power to the short-yardage game of the Falcons, serving as a nice compliment to Devonta Freeman.

Atlanta’s second pick of the 5^th round was another corner: Jordan Miller – also of Washington. Their second at that position of the draft, Miller will add depth to the secondary and join another former Washing player in Trufant there.

For Round 6, the Falcons branched out and took a wide receiver: UL Monroe’s Marcus Green. Green isn’t going to supplant Julio Jones, but he may be counted upon to make both kickoff and punt returns. He has the potential to provide some explosive returns and provides competition with free agent signing Kenjon Barner for the role.