By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The NFL draft is this week. I’m excited to see what my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons do with their picks. I’m going to try to see who they should select in the first round.

There are several needs for the Falcons. The offense was very good with Matt Ryan finishing the season third in passing yards. Julio Jones was first in receiving yards. The offensive line had trouble protecting the 150 million dollar man, though.

Ryan was sacked 42 times this past season, the eighth most in the NFL and the second most in a single season during his career. The quarterback was hit 113 times in all, the third most in the league, tied with Tampa Bay, and ranking ahead of just San Francisco (124) and Houston (136). The Saints allowed the fewest quarterback hits (53).

Ryan was hit 32 times in the month of November alone, an NFL high in that span.

Running back is also an issue because Tevin Coleman left for San Francisco as a free agent. Devonta Freeman was injured and only played in two games in 2018.

The defense has the most glaring needs and I expect that to be addressed with the early picks. Safeties Keanu Neal and Deion Jones were injured for the season and that played a factor in why the defense struggled.

Atlanta cut ties with Robert Alford and let slot corner Brian Poole leave in free agency. That means corner back is also a big need. They need help at every level on defense but defensive line might be the most pressing need.

The Falcons earned two compensatory picks after the NFL determined that the four players lost by the Falcons — defensive end Adrian Clayborn, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, and specialist Andre Roberts — were of greater value than the two free agents the team gained, right guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Logan Paulsen.

That’s good news because they have nine picks. The first is No. 14 and they should draft someone like Ed Oliver if he’s available. They may need to trade up into the top 10 to make that happen. Oliver is 6’2, 7/8 and 287 pounds. He isn’t considered tall for an interior lineman but I don’t think that matters.

Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in the league and he’s only 6’1.

Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (Florida) is someone that might be a good fit. He’s 6’5, 328 lbs. so he has very good size. In 2018 he was named Second Team All-SEC and he started in 12 of the 13 games at right tackle.

Montez Sweat (Mississippi State) is a great edge rusher. Last season he had 50 tackles, 24 solo, 8.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. In 2017, he had 10.5 sacks. Sweat is 6’6 and 245 pounds, which is prototypical size.

Brian Burns (Florida State) is also a great edge rusher that might still be an option if Atlanta doesn’t trade up. Burns had 31 solo tackles, 10 sacks and 3 forced fumbles this past season. He also fits the mold of what a dominant pass rusher looks like, standing at 6’5, 235 pounds.

We cannot say for sure who is going to be picked until draft night but I’m really looking forward to see who is picked. I think the first pick has to be a defensive lineman.