Touchdown Wire’s pre-combine mock draft: Chase Young, Jerry Jeudy are pivot points

Everybody does mock drafts, most everybody does more than one, and every mock draft is done for different reasons. To get clicks? Well, duh. That would be reason No. 1, dear reader. Let’s not be arch about this. That aside, what we’re trying to do …

16. Atlanta Falcons (7-9): Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

(Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)

The Falcons saw a major uptick in effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball when Dan Quinn moved Raheem Morris from receivers coach to full oversight of the secondary, which led to Morris’ promotion to defensive coordinator. This was the right move, but if Atlanta is going to get over last season’s 1-7 start and 7-9 finish, the defense is going to need cornerback help. Last season, Desmond Trufant was the only Falcons cornerback with an interception (four, actually), but he also gave up five touchdowns and allowed an opponent passer rating of 106.3. Fulton allowed a 43.6% completion rate last season, and while he does give up the occasional big play due to concentration lapses, he fits the model of the Quinn-preferred cornerback — big, opportunistic and able to erase opposing targets for long periods of time.

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