The Falcons’ secondary had another year of bad luck in 2019, with both safety Keanu Neal and corner Desmond Trufant ending the season on injured reserve. The 2020 NFL Draft is fast approaching and with multiple holes to plug on defense, many are torn over which direction the team should go in the first round.
Atlanta currently holds pick No. 16. While the overwhelming majority of mocks have the team selecting Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa, Pro Football Focus went a different route.
PFF’s Michael Renner projected the Falcons to pick LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton in his latest mock draft:
Fulton may not ‘wow’ with his athleticism or ball production (only two career picks), but he’s so smooth in coverage and rarely gets himself in bad positions. Atlanta could use any sort of infusion of talent into their defense that they can get.
In this scenario, the Falcons would be prioritizing value over need by passing on Epenesa, who would fill the team’s hole at defensive end. Fulton finished the 2019 season with 38 total tackles, one interception and 14 passes defended for the National Champion LSU Tigers.
Last year, rookie corner Kendall Sheffield, second-year DB Isaiah Oliver and safety Damontae Kazee each got extended playing time due to injuries.
Plus, Atlanta still has its No. 1 corner, Desmond Trufant, under contract as well — assuming he returns healthy in 2020. Overall, the team’s secondary may not be in as bad of shape as last season led some to believe.
It comes down to which player the front office believes will improve the roster the most next season. Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff are on thin ice, and missing the playoffs would almost certainly cost both their jobs in 2021.
Cornerback can be one of the toughest positions to adapt to in the NFL as a rookie. It may be too big of a risk for a team that believes it’s on the brink of contending. There’s still a lot that can change prior to April’s draft, though, so we’re not ruling anything out just yet.
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