Getty The Falcons take a WR compared to a Dallas Cowboys star in this mock draft.
Kyle Pitts aside, there’s not a lot to love about the Atlanta Falcons’ passing game headed into the 2022 NFL season. Pitts is the lone danger man among a cadre of otherwise underwhelming receivers.
It’s a problem the Falcons will have to solve in this year’s draft. Fortunately, general manager Terry Fontenot is armed with the eighth-overall selection and should have his pick of the best prospects from a class deep in talented wideouts.
Fontenot’s predecessor, Thomas Dimitroff, bypassed the available receivers in 2020 to take cornerback A.J. Terrell. The Falcons were handsomely rewarded by Terrell developing into a legitimate shutdown cover man, but the franchise could’ve taken a player who has since become a 1,000-yard receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.
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Fate may have given Fontenot a chance to correct Dimitroff’s CeeDee Lamb-shaped mistake. One mock draft writer has the Falcons taking a receiver whose style is comparable to Lamb’s game.
Falcons Take WR Similar to Cowboys’ Star
The Falcons would make the best use of the eighth pick by taking Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson off the board, according to CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin: “Two years ago, the Falcons passed on CeeDee Lamb to take A.J. Terrell, who has turned into a terrific player in his own right. With their pass-catcher corps depleted aside from Kyle Pitts, they land Wilson here, who looks a whole lot like Lamb on tape.”
There was nothing wrong with taking Terrell 16th overall in 2020. Not when he’s rapidly matured into one of the more technically proficient cornerbacks in the NFL.
Terrell came of age during his second season, consistently shutting down some of the best receivers in the game, per PFF Fantasy Football:
Wide receivers locked down by A.J. Terrell
🔒 Deebo Samuel – 0 yards
🔒 Jaylen Waddle – 0 yards
🔒 Corey Davis – 0 yards
🔒 Marvin Jones Jr. – 5 yards
🔒 Michael Gallup – 19 yards
🔒 Stefon Diggs – 24 yards
Having a lockdown corner is a must in today’s pass-happy league. It’s doubly important for the Falcons, playing in the NFC South where Tom Brady still throws the passes for division kingpin the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dimitroff’s parting gift to the team was a good one, especially when he chose Terrell in a world before the Falcons traded Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley incurred a suspension for gambling violations.
The Falcons need only rue not drafting Lamb when head coach Arthur Smith and his staff look at the paucity of talent on this season’s depth chart at receiver. Wilson’s arrival would soon solve the problem.
Wilson is the Game-Breaker Falcons Need
A wide receiver room populated by low-key new arrivals Auden Tate and Damiere Byrd needs some star power. Better yet, the group is missing an obvious game-breaker.
Wilson fits the role and could quickly become what Lamb is for the Cowboys. Lamb posted 1,102 yards and six touchdowns in 13 starts last season.
The 6’2″, 197-pounder’s numbers stack up against what 6’0″, 188-pound Wilson produced during his final season with the Buckeyes. He had 1,058 yards off 70 receptions, 12 of which went for touchdowns, per Sports Reference.
Dubin isn’t the only one who sees the similarities between Lamb and Wilson. Back in March, ESPN’s Todd McShay made the same comparison to New York Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg, in an interview relayed by The Jets Zone host Paul Andrew Esden Jr.:
.@McShay13 told @EGreenbergJets that the #Jets should strongly consider taking a WR at No. 10, he brought up 2 names: Drake London of @USC_FB & Garrett Wilson of @OhioStateFB, ‘Wilson is like CeeDee Lamb, where he is so good when the ball is in the air’: 🎥 @nyjets #NFLCombine
Taking a receiver who can stretch the field from the outside or the slot would transform the Falcons’ passing attack. Wilson would not only draw coverage away from Pitts and Byrd. He’d also give Marcus Mariota a better chance to revive his career as a starting quarterback at this level.