Getty Mel Kiper, Chris Mortensen and Keyshawn Johnson broadcast for ESPN.
If there is anyone who knows what they’re talking about when it comes to the NFL draft, it’s long-time NFL analyst Mel Kiper.
Kiper gave his two cents on who the Atlanta Falcons should keep their eyes on in the first rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. With the Falcons’ main priorities being an edge rusher and cornerback, Kiper has two players in mind for Atlanta.
“I think it gets down to K’Lavon Chaisson from LSU, if he were there, and C.J. Henderson from Florida, the corner, if he were there,” Kiper said. “I think it will be interesting to see which direction they would go in that first round.”
This doesn’t come as a surprise considering the Falcons have been linked to both Chaisson and Henderson in various mock drafts.
Falcons Projected to Trade-Up
There is a chance Chaisson and Henderson could be gone by the time the Falcons pick at No. 16 rolls around. However, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport says there’s been a lot of talk lingering about the Falcons moving up in the draft.
One team that appears poised to make some noise with a move up is the #Falcons. They have spent a lot of times evaluating and talking to players who figure to be gone by No. 16… and when other teams do their projections, they believe Atlanta will be on the move.
Definitely don’t underestimate the Falcons risking it to get the biscuit. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is known for doing whatever he needs to do in order to get the player Atlanta’s roster needs. And in years past, it’s worked out really well for them—look at Julio Jones.
This year especially though, the Falcons will need to make the biggest moves they can considering Dimitroff’s and head coach Dan Quinn’s job could on the line.
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Kiper’s Second-Round Thoughts
While the Falcons have a need at cornerback, Kiper believes they’ll be able to fill that void in the second round in the second round of the draft.
“And then, in the second round what could you get at those two spots,” Kiper said. “Could you get the pass rusher, maybe a Julian Okwara, how do they feel about him coming out of Notre Dame? Or, how do they feel about at that point a corner? And there will be some corners on the board in the second round. So, maybe they go Chaisson [in the first round] knowing you can get a guy maybe like Jeremy Chinn from Southern Illinois who played safety and had 13 career interceptions, also played a little corner. He had seven interceptions in high school as well, so he’s a playmaker whose got dual versatility.”
Kiper emphasized that the Falcons should address an edge as soon as possible since there will only be so many reliable ones on the board and worry about corners afterward. There’s plenty of corners to choose from in this class.
“Damon Arnette from Ohio State did a good job opposite Jeff Okudah, I like him,” Kiper said. “Jeff Gladney, TCU, is another corner who’s going to be right in that mix. Ashton Davis from Cal is a safety, very athletic kid, track guy who could project to corner. Trevon Diggs from Alabama, mixed opinion on him, but he’ll be in that second-round discussion, as will Cameron Dantzler from Mississippi State. So there’s going to be a lot of corners. Kristian Fulton may be there from LSU, mixed opinion on him.”
For Kiper, he has it all planned out and let’s hope the Falcons are taking notes.
“I think you might want to go Chaisson first and then corner second if you’re Atlanta.”
We’ll see what happens next week. Stay tuned Falcons fans.
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NFL Draft Expert Pegs Falcons to Draft Former LSU Star