The Atlanta Falcons could land the steal of the 2022 NFL draft by selecting college football’s best defensive end with the eighth-overall pick.
It would mean the Falcons get a player who many consider a lock to be one of the first players taken this year. That might make the idea the Falcons can land him seem outlandish, but one mock draft writer believes it could happen if the team can overlook one worrying trait in the player’s game.
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Rich Rewards Await if Falcons Ignore Weakness
It’s no secret the Falcons need to bolster their pass rush ahead of next season. The quickest and most decisive fix would be to take Michigan standout Aidan Hutchinson off the board in the first round.
That’s something Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings thinks could happen on April 28. Cummings believes Hutchinson’s short arms may lead to him sliding on draft day.
If so, the Falcons are primed to land a steal: “Arm length matters in the trenches. It’s not a reason to rally against a prospect on its own, but in a tightly contested EDGE class, it could make a difference (for some teams) between Aidan Hutchinson and somebody else. Hutchinson is rumored to have sub-33-inch arms. Still, he’s a worthy top-10 pick, and a team like Atlanta could be the beneficiary if he falls. Hutchinson’s a stellar athlete at 6’6″, 260 pounds, with violent, twitchy hands, and a motor that runs hotter than the sun’s corona.”
This has to be close to a dream scenario for the Falcons, despite any concerns about Hutchinson’s reach. The player still managed to set a single-season sack record for the Wolverines by logging 14 quarterback takedowns in 2021.
Those sacks helped Hutchinson win the Ted Hendricks award, handed to the nation’s top defensive end. It was one of many accolades given to Hutchinson after his superb final season in the collegiate ranks:
🏆 Bednarik Award 🏆 Nagurski Trophy 🏆 Hendricks Award
@aidanhutch97 | @UMichFootball
His campaign concluded in style when he made history in the Big Ten Championship Game. Hutchinson notched a sack as Michigan flattened Iowa 42-3.
His performance was good enough to earn Hutchinson another award:
It’s no wonder many other draft scribes have Hutchinson as one of the first players to come off the board. Both NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks and CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards have Hutchinson going second overall to the Detroit Lions.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Hutchinson as the first-overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pre-draft rankings are naturally fluid, but at the moment it seems a stretch Hutchinson will slide to the bottom end of the top 10.
Hutchinson a Perfect Fit for Falcons’ Defense
If a slide does happen, the Falcons shouldn’t hesitate to take Hutchinson off the board. He’s a perfect fit for coordinator Dean Pees’ defense.
The 21-year-old is a natural edge-rusher with the athleticism to attack blockers either from a three-point stance or a standup position. This hybrid trait will appeal to Pees, who runs a flexible front for the Falcons, a mix of three- and four-man lines.
More important than the alignment Pees uses, he needs a stud pass-rusher for his front seven. The Falcons lacked one of those in 2021, the main reason they only recorded a league-low 18 sacks.
Finding blue-chip talent for the edges is a priority, but it’s not something the Falcons are likely to find in free agency, despite quality pass-rushers being available on the veteran market. Players like Von Miller, Haason Reddick, Chandler Jones and Harold Landry.
The Falcons will have a hard time affording any of those when the franchise is currently $5,914, 636 above the salary cap, per OverTheCap.com. Atlanta’s top pass-rusher, Dante Fowler Jr., is also set for free agency, according to the same source.
That leaves the draft as the Falcons’ best bet to upgrade their ability to get after quarterbacks. Hutchinson is a dream pick thanks to numbers from PFF’s Jon Marci that make him arguably the most consistent and dynamic edge player in this class:
Concerns about his short arms needn’t worry the Falcons. Many defensive linemen with an apparent lack of reach blossomed into prolific pass-rushers at the pro level. Think Dwight Freeney, Elvis Dumervil and Aaron Donald.
Hutchinson has the core skills to follow in their footsteps and immediately revive the Falcons’ defense.
Falcons Get Ted Hendricks Award Winner in Latest Mock Draft