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This is my early mock draft for the Falcons. I used the rankings of players at NFL Draftscout to slot where each player might go. Players of course will move up and down the draftboard between now and the draft but I decided to have a little fun and see what I could come up with.I tried to draft based on the Falcons current position of being around 30th in each round( leagues best record).

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings

1. Alex Okafor/Ezekiel Ansah (def end)
2.Larry Warford (guard)
3.Stefan Taylor (running back)
4.Stedman Bailey (wide receiver)
5.Joesph Fauria (tight end)
6.Zaviar Gooden (linebacker)
7.Michael Mauti (linebacker)

I expect hopefully the Falcons to sign a def tackle in free agency and probably a tight end maybe to groom the tight end we should draft. This is a weak tight end class and besides Eifert there isn't alot to get excited about. I figure Eifert will be off the board come the Falcons pick in the first.

My hope is TD starts to develop the draft strategy the Steelers have which is to draft linemen with the first couple of picks in the draft. Unless a player is really highly rated at another position (Efiert) the next few drafts I could see TD drafting along the lines.

What will the Falcons do at corner and safety. I believe William Moore can be a free agent and Grimes.Do the Falcons resign Baker? I highly doubt a top tier tackle gets away to sign with another team (Jake Long,Ryan Clady). The Falcons should be able to find a young good potential back in the 3-5 rounds. I really like Stefan Taylor from Stanford but the kid from UCLA might be worth a gamble. I certainly would not use a high pick on a running back.Warford should solve the guard position however I'm not so sure Blalock is doing such a good job on his side. He'll be here another year.

Bailey would give the Falcons a good no3 receiver. Def end is almost a must in the first round plus this class should have enough quality def ends to get a decent potential one in the late first.I don't expect alot from low round picks but Gooden might be worth a look at linebacker. The Falcons really need to sign a free agent even if Tatupu comes back.

It's an interesting mock scout. I like some of the picks.

I think the problem at this point is that the Falcons have a ton of potential needs. I think it's a potentially deeper TE class than you think, but only if some of the juniors come out like Ertz and Toilolo. There aren't many superstars, but a lot of good players that can be had in the mid-rounds. Fauria is one of them.

I like the idea of getting a pass rusher early. A player like Okafor would be interesting considering our defensive scheme. He could potentially fill the mantle as the Abraham role as a pure pass rusher, as opposed to the Biermann role. This looks to be a fairly deep group of pass rushers, assuming many of the juniors come out. Corey Lemonier (Auburn) or Dion Jordan (Oregon) might also be a nice target in the 20s.

Stepfan Taylor would be a good pick up for us because he can play on passing downs, and would add a bit more of the workhorse ability than Rodgers, but I'm not sure he has the upside as a runner to be a true No. 1. I think TExas A&M's Christine Michael is a big time sleeper due to all of the injuries he's sustained. If he had been healthy and come out last year, I probably would have rated him as the #2 RB behind Richardson.

I'm still way behind on my scouting, and i hope to catch up during December before the bowls.

Thanks Pudge for the comments. I hope to see your soon even if its just for fun at this point being so early still hard to predict which players will rise and fall. I was watching some clips on youtube(not always the best source since many are highlight reels but there is a draftsite that seems to put all the plays a player is involved in a game so you see the whole game I presume.)and Taylor could be a real nice player.Some of his moves just shook defenders and left them grasping at air. After watching clips of Taylor I only hope we get a shot at him in the late 3rd. When all is said and done with the draft and free agents there is no excuse not to find an upgrade at running back. I'm not sure he can be a legit one but teams seem to find them even if it isn't the first or second round picks.

Ertz I believe was ranked as a 2nd rounder and I didn't even see Toilolo listed but at 6-7 he'll be on scouts radar. I'm not sure there is a big difference between Fauria and Ertz therefore if Taylor or another good back is available in the 3rd why not wait till the 4th to get whose ever left at back. It depends on who the players left to fill a need,how their ranked on the Falcons board. TD has got to come away with some solid picks this draft something he hasn't been doing which is why we have so many needs.

Anyway if I were drafting for the Falcons and the players I presume become available I think this would be a solid mock draft. Our strategy should be to build the lines with our 1st two picks unless someone is ranked so much higher and just falls to the Falcons. For example a linebacker,receiver,tight end falls to the Falcons with our 1st or 2nd rounder and he is ranked much higher than the linemen. I am so tired of being out physicaled in games. It's time for a new strategy and TD better realize this or will be in the same position next year.

One thing I was checking on the running backs their durability. Stephan Taylor has carried the ball quite a bit and rushed for good yardage the last 3 seasons. Jonathan Franklin is a durable back also and gained good yardage. The flip side Mike Gillisee (Florida) not that many carries although good yardage this year. Christine Michael probably due to injury hasn't shown much durability at all compared to the backs just mentioned. I think durability will rank high on TD's list of finding a running back. It seems alot of these backs can be had in the 3rd round (although the board will move a bit come draft time. I'd prefer Taylor but Franklin might also be a good back. The only thing I don't like is Franklin isn't has big but of course look at Chris Johnson from Tennessee.

Just looking at Walter Football's draft updated today.
http://walterfootball.com/draft2013_1.php
If the draft fell like this with Okafor and Eziekel from Utah gone plus Eifert going earlier would put a damper on the draft leaving the Falcon's with an off lineman in round 1. Barrett Jones should be a solid player but if I had to choose between a def end or off lineman and both graded fairly equal I would take the def end. I think the difference between drafting Okafor/Warford (mock 1 draft) or Barrett Jones/John Simon you get better quality with the 1st mock.

I could easily see the Giants drafting either Okafor or the Eziekel and San Fran seems to be adopting that strategy of not having enough pass rushers if they take Okafor. The better teams in the league seem to beef up on pass rushers when they can. Unfortunately the Falcons seem to neglect this strategy which is why come playoff time teams with solid pass rushes fair better than teams built with all offense being their main strategy of winning.

I think the bottom line is if a player like Jones becomes a pro bowler and the other def ends become average you take the pro bowler even if he is a guard. Jones versatility will help alot so it isn't a lock he'll be a guard. It's about creating matchup problems and if Jones(or another player) can win the battles it's a good pick.Like I have said before TD needs a strong draft.It's what separates the consistent playoff winners and the also rans.

I've probably only done about 30% of the scouting I hope to accomplish by the time the draft rolls around, but from what I can tell thus far is that it'll be a good year for the Falcons to draft defense and/or an interior lineman in the first round.

The guard I've seen thus far that I like is Warmack for Alabama, but it looks like he'll probably be a Top 20 pick according to the WF mock. I honestly don't expect the Falcons to be picking #32. Given our likely record probably gives us a 1st round bye, probably the earliest the Falcons will draft is #27 or #28, and with a playoff win that becomes #29 or #30. But that's probably still not enough of a bump to get Warmack. Instead, it's going to be UNC's Jon Cooper or Barrett Jones for us if we go OG. I haven't watched Cooper yet this year, but I liked him a lot a year ago, reminded me of Ben Grubbs/Mike Pouncey. Jones to me is very similar to Konz, and while I wouldn't love the pick in Round 1, it still would be a solid pick. You get a good, albeit not great talent at guard.

For defense, I think this team's #1 or #2 priority (depending on where you rank improving the run game) is adding playmakers on that side of the ball. The Falcons have 4 true impact players: Abe, Babs, Spoon, and Samuel (a healthy Grimes would be #5). In essence guys that can make big plays on a weekly basis and win the majority of matchups they face. But in truth, Abe, Babs, and Samuel aren't really that anymore. We see flashes of it some times, but they aren't the players they were 3+ years ago when you saw it almost every Sunday. All will likely be gone from the team within 1-3 more years. The Falcons need to use what time those guys have left to replenish the talent elsewhere on the defense. Guys like DeCoud, Moore, Nicholas, Peters, Biermann, etc. can be capable complementary starters and role players, but will never be the guys that OCs are gameplanning for.

I like many of the pass rushers that are projected Top 50 picks. I like that many of them are hybrid-type players, and given our new look defense we could use a lot of them.

I also think DT is a big need. And depending on what type of 3-4 looks we throw out in the future, maybe get one of those solid DEs like a Margus Hunt (SMU) in Round 2?

I also think the Falcons really need to find a premier young CB very soon in the draft. Robinson is on borrowed time, and Samuel's skills are on the decline, although he still has something left in the tank contrary to what Philly thought. Because of that, I'm still of the mindset that the Falcons should tag Grimes this upcoming off-season again to buy them more time, in case that CB isn't coming this April.