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19) Atlanta Falcons Jared Odrick DE/DT Penn State (previous selection: Odrick) With Weatherspoon off the board, the Falcons may surprise some here with Odrick. Some will call this a curious pick, but here's why it makes sense:

The player most believe the Falcons will select (Weatherspoon) is gone. Instead of selecting a player that may be a reach, they select a player at a position that requires a heavy rotation, the defensive line. Defensive tackle doesn't require the same pass rush that defensive end does, but getting a good push from the middle helps the ends out and allows the linebackers to do more things.

In Odrick the Falcons get an exceptional leader who is big and strong and can control the line of scrimmage. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year does not have elite-level pass rushing skills, but what he does provide is run-stopping ability that is at the top of the charts.

Consider what is important to Atlanta Head Coach Mike Smith: deep and physical defensive line play and stopping the run. Atlanta's run defense improved last season and a player like Odrick in the middle would only improve that. He could join a rotation of Jonathan Babineaux and last year's first-round pick Peria Jerry along with numerous players on the end positions to give Atlanta a deep and menacing defensive line.

The Falcons' brass were present at Penn State's Pro Day and one must also consider if Peria Jerry, who Smith has said will miss minicamp, is completely on track for the start of the 2010 season. With or without Jerry, Odrick is a good back-up plan or a part of a frequent rotation that will wear out opposing offensive lines.

Though he doesn't have traditional end size, the 6'5", 304-pound Odrick just may be versatile enough to spend time on the outside as well.

Round Three pick (No. 83 overall) Navorro Bowman OLB Penn State (previous selection: Bowman) The chances of finding a solid starter at linebacker in the third round are better than finding a pass-rushing specialist or middle-clogging tackle. Because of this fact, Atlanta goes with Odrick in Round One and selects his teammate, linebacker Navorro Bowman, in the third round.

There are some character concerns from earlier in Bowman's Penn State career, but he appeared to change his ways during his redshirt junior year in 2009. The 6'1", 242-pound linebacker's stock dropped a little during the offseason, but GM Thomas Dimitroff will focus mainly on his college production. Bowman led the team in tackles for loss as a junior (17) and returned two defensive plays back for a touchdown, an interception for 73 yards and a fumble recovery for 91. He plays with a high football IQ and considered a well-liked teammate, perhaps Bowman's best attribute is his aggressive, hard-hitting, and sure tackling, a skill Smith values highly.

A very smart player in pass coverage, Bowman could be the heir apparent on the weakside for Atlanta.

Round Three pick (No. 98 overall-compensatory) J.D. Walton C Baylor (previous selection: Walton) The Falcons have said their draft will be more balanced than the two previous and with two defensive picks at the top, No. 3 will be a move to help the offense.

In Walton, Atlanta gets a 2009 AP All-American and a player capable of taking over for Todd McClure at center when he retires. The 6'3", 300-pound Walton was clearly the top center on the South squad at the Senior Bowl. A consistent player who started every game at center from his sophomore year on, he could potentially help out at guard until his time comes at center.

Known as a leader of the offensive line, he's tough, physical, and goes all out on every play, exactly what the Falcons want in the understudy to McClure.

Round Four pick (No. 117 overall) Marshall Newhouse G TCU (no previous selection) The Falcons will want to continue to spend picks to add talent, depth, and competition to the offensive line. They did the same last year with offensive tackle Garrett Reynolds who impressed late in the season with increased playing time.

While the Falcons return all five starters on the line from 2009, the future doesn't imply that will continue. The right side of the line (G Harvey Dahl and T Tyson Clabo) are restricted free agents and there's a strong possibility that both won't return in 2011. In Newhouse, Atlanta gets a versatile player who started three straight seasons at left tackle. At the East-West Shrine Game Newhouse played every position except center and impressed.

Newhouse, 6'4", 319 pounds, has good bloodlines as well. His father, John, was on three Houston Cotton Bowl teams in the 70's and his uncle, Robert, was a Dallas Cowboys fullback for 12 seasons. Strong, with good length, Newhouse may fit in better inside at guard, allowing him to use his strength and run-blocking ability.

Round Five pick (No. 149 overall) Patrick Stoudamire CB Western Illinois (no previous selection) Even with the signing of Dunta Robinson and what looks to be decent depth at the cornerback position, look for the Falcons to look to add another young corner in this year's draft.

In Stoudamire, the Falcons get a player who has potential and could develop into a starting-caliber player. He's blessed with good size (5'11", 206 pounds), good speed (40's ranged from 4.43 to 4.52), and athleticism. Smooth and fluid in his backpedals and transitions down the sideline, Stoudamire also is known to play physical, sometimes too much so.

A three-year starter, he had 16 pass breakups as a senior. Stoudamire also has good genes; he has two cousins that have played in the NBA and another that played in the NFL. He also was on the Western Illinois basketball team as a freshman.

Sorry Pudge, posted in wrong forum!

I don't see this happening, the falcons haven't drafted a single player from the big ten since td took over and now we are gonna do it with our top 2 pics, from the same school? At the same time I wouldn't be too upset if this guy was right but I don't think it fits our MO. In addition TD really seems to draft to fit needs and not take the best availble player , there fore I predict interior lineman, olb, or de for the first 2 picks

I'm still trying to figure out what position Odrick is going to play for the Falcons. DT? DE? As a DE, is he going to be anymore an impact player than Jamaal Anderson is? They are both players that fit much better in a 3-4 scheme than our own. I don't have a problem if the Falcons were to take a big DE that is more of a run stopper than pass rusher at that position, but that only makes sense in terms of value in the 3rd round or later.

As a DT? Why? Either that means the team is planning on dumping Jonathan Babineaux in the very near future (which would be a retarded move and would single-handedly cause me to lose my faith in Dimitroff & Smitty), or Peria Jerry is done. You simply don't use a #1 pick on a backup player unless it's an offensive skill position (like a No. 2 RB or No. 3 TE). And there's no guarantee that Odrick will be a starter if Babs and Jerry are on the roster.

I've seen a lot of mock drafts like this one, and I come away from them thinking we haven't added a single impact player in any of them. I'm well aware it's going to be hard to add good, impact players in Round 3 and later. Which is why I'm all for trading up in this draft to get the guy we really want in the first round.

The Falcons don't really have glaring needs where they should be trying to hold onto a bunch of middle round picks. Outside the 1st round pick, almost every other pick is certainly going to be on a backup level player. And while I'm all for improving depth across the roster, other than OLB, there isn't a single position where the depth is so negligible that we couldn't make due with what we currently have on the roster.

including Center?

Center is arguably where our depth is best at...You can make the case that Brett Romberg is our best backup, because he's one of the few backups on the roster that could potentially start on 25% of other NFL teams. Unless the Falcons use their #1 on a center, I'm not confident another center is going to come in and pass Romberg on the depth chart. He's a Boudreau favorite.

Redman, Norwood, Snelling, Douglas, Peelle, Svitek, Ojinnaka, and Romberg all have played in the past, and if our any of our offensive starters were to go down for 2-4 games, I don't think the sky would be falling if those guys were inserted in the lineup. I don't think those guys are great, and if they were forced to play twice as long we'd be in big trouble.

Defensively, Davis, Johnson, Biermann, Owens, Grimes, and Coleman/Moore are fairly good depth on the defensive side of the ball.

But linebacker is where we are weakest, where Coy Wire is nice, but there isn't anybody else.

I'm not saying our depth is great, but if the Falcons were forced to go into the season with many of these guys on the 2nd team depth chart, I'm not going to be losing any sleep.

Just saying that after you add a pass rusher and a backup LB, there isn't any glaring need. McClure, Gonzalez, Finneran, Peterson, Abraham, Blalock, Dahl, Clabo, Coleman, Norwood, may all be playing their final seasons in Atlanta. And you'd like to have a young guy at each one of those positions that can slide into their vacant spot potentially next year. But it's not the end of the world if you don't. Some positions you'll have to be like, "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until next year."