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I am going to assume we have two fourth rounders due to the Ellis Johnson trade...

1) DE Matt Roth or Justin Tuck (A replacement for B. Smith whom I would release)
2) S Donte Nicholson or Ernest Shazor (Split time w/Keion Carpenter)
3) CB Best coverage corner available (To replace Mathis as our nickel back)
4) OT Nick Kazcur (solid depth)
4) DT Lorenzo Alexander (Rotate w/Chad Lavalais)
5) LB Best available w/speed (ST player plus depth)

I would also try to trade Duckett if Dunn is going to be our starter next season. The player I would try to draft from this trade would be....C Vince Carter.

That's a pretty strong draft. Roth would be a good #1 pick, and he's basically the guy I'm looking at most for our 1st round pick. But I also see David Pollack possibly slipping to #27 and I would take him over Roth.

I like Shazor's size, and I think we need a solid run stopper at SS. Nicholson is a good choice too, and is probably a bit more polished than Shazor.

Alexander is seemingly moving up boards after a solid Senior Bowl week. He was a player that I considered a 3rd rounder with 2nd round talent entering this past season, but he sort of slipped down to the 2nd day with a down year, but now might move back into the first day of the draft. But he's a guy that I've wanted for some time.

I wouldn't trade Duckett. I think he definitely made strides this past year, and I continue to believe that if he loses some weight, he's only going to get better. Now of course, if someone is going to offer us a #1 or #2 for Duckett, then I'd definitely think about making the trade. In this offense, I think it's far easier to replace Duckett than it is Dunn. We'll see...

I have been wanting matt orth smetime now for the 1st round pick but the way he has played probably will go higher.I got a response back from Rob Rang of NFLsCout.com he thinks Pollack will go 7-15 in the 1st.So if Roth,Pollack,Spears are gone and Jammal Brown do you go corner in the first?Mike Patterson played real well but I do not want to blow a 1st rounder on a def tackle when you can get alexander probably late 3rd.

At this time if no corner in round 1 then maybe Elton Brown at guard.Ratlff has potential but isn't refined enough and maybe not go in round 1.This could be an opportuity to trade down but mkcay's history is he doesn't trade down.Safety in second yes but in 3rd alexander may have to be taken there if not already off board go corner and Babineaux in 4th.

Elton Brown is a road-grader, and I'm not sure he's the type of plaer that Atlanta should be after. He's a short-area guy that has good athleticism for his size, but he's not a guy that is going to have an easy time getting downfield and making cut blocks, etc. He measured at about 340 I believe at the Senior Bowl (some referred to it as "sloppy"), and typically you need to be lighter in Gibbs blocking scheme because he wants you to be mobile.

Here are the players that I think we should be targetting at #27, and note that some of these guys likely won't be available...

WR - Mark Clayton (Oklahoma), Mike Williams (USC)
OT - Jammal Brown (Oklahoma), Khalif Barnes (Washington), Adam Terry (Syracuse)
OG - David Baas (MIchigan)
DE - David Pollack (Georgia), Shawn Merriman (Maryland), Matt Roth (Iowa), Dan Cody (Oklahoma), Justin Tuck (Notre Dame)
DT - Shaun Cody (USC), Luis Castillo (Northwestern), Mike Patterson (USC)
LB - Kevin BUrnett (Tennessee), Channing Crowder (Florida), Odell Thurman (Georgia)
CB - Adam Jones (W. Virginia), Antrel Rolle (Miami), Justin Miller (Clemson), Carlos Rogers (Auburn), Corey Webster (LSU), Eric Green (Virginia Tech)
S - Thomas Davis (Georgia)


You may have noticed I left off DEs Marcus Spears (LSU). I like Spears, but I think we need an edge rusher at RDE, and I don't think Spears is that. He's more a power rusher at LDE, and we already have Kerney at that position. Unless the team plans on moving him around, but that may not be a good idea since thus far Kerney has had great success when lined up beside Coleman.

Here's some 2nd round targets to ponder as well (some of the guys listed above may fall as well):

RB - Marion Barber (Minnesota), Ciatrick Fason (Florida), Vernand Morency (Oklahoma St.)
WR - Craig Bragg (UCLA), Reggie Brown (Georgia)
OT - Logan Mankins (Fresno State), Wesley Britt (Alabama)
DE - Bill Swancutt (Oregon State)
DT - Jonathan Babineaux (Iowa)
LB - Lance Mitchell (Oklahoma)
CB - Darrent Williams (Oklahoma State)
S - Donte Nicholson (Oklahoma), Ernest Shazor (Michigan), Michael Boley (Southern Miss)

Has much as I have gone through the draft in my head over and over wanting certain players the bottom line is get the player that has the most impact on your team that hopefully should fill an immediate need instead of a secondary need. Only take a secondary player if it is corner,def end because those 2 poiitions the falcon's have covered for one year in Brady Smith and Webster but you can never have enough pass rushers or corners.

Mark Clayton,ifroth and Pollack were gone I think Clayton would be a great selection.I mentioned Brown before but as you said gibbs likes smaller players that can move.I read Ratliff needs more polish I dont mind him but if the falcon's bypass ratliff please just get a player that will be impact.


WR - Mark Clayton (Oklahoma), Mike Williams (USC)
OT - Jammal Brown (Oklahoma), Khalif Barnes (Washington), Adam Terry (Syracuse)
OG - David Baas (MIchigan)
DE - David Pollack (Georgia), Shawn Merriman (Maryland), Matt Roth (Iowa), Dan Cody (Oklahoma), Justin Tuck (Notre Dame)
DT - Shaun Cody (USC), Luis Castillo (Northwestern), Mike Patterson (USC)
LB - Kevin BUrnett (Tennessee), Channing Crowder (Florida), Odell Thurman (Georgia)
CB - Adam Jones (W. Virginia), Antrel Rolle (Miami), Justin Miller (Clemson), Carlos Rogers (Auburn), Corey Webster (LSU), Eric Green (Virginia Tech)
S - Thomas Davis (Georgia)

Just a few comments about some players..
I would take Patterson over Shaun Cody but then again I would not consider def tackle in round 1..channing crowder no way do I draft him to many red flags on character....Corey Webster has not plaed well..Eric Green 3rd round pick...Burnett no way in late 1st...Adam Terry is he really that good at 27th pick....what about Logan Mankins and Marquis johnson who may be able to play guard and tackle???

Justin Miller I would not mind...in fact most of the players pudge you mentioned I would not have a problem with.Thurman from gerogia is a beast and is all over the field.As mentioned earlier get the best player it is to early to predict what will happen.sometimes thinking about these things all the time reminds me of the falcon playoff game.You talk about it so much lets just get it over with and we have 10 weeks to go till draft time..

One thing to remember alot of times in the draft there is always a player that slides for no reason and we don't know who that player but keep it in mind.Rob Rang as mentioned earlier thinks pollack will go 7-15 in the 1st and I can't see Roth dropping to 27.On a side note Mike Nunley the kicker I would bet money he goes in round 2 maybe to the Bear's if they don't sign a kicker.I live in indiana but here alot of chicago bear football shows and they want a kicker.He will be an impact kicker so will Colquitt and I wish the falcon's had more picks to get one of them especially nunley.Could you imagine getting to the 40 yrs line and nunley comes in and kicks a 50 yarder consistetly? Alot better than Feely!

I would hope the falcon's explore the possibility of trading Duckett.That playoff game Duckett didn't play alot but the eagles just bottled him up.Kay Jay Harris is a big guy and I think could do the same as Duckett.

With all this I hear about Roth's game at the Senior Bowl, I'm having doubts he's there when we pick. I'd love to get him though. I think Shazor will be gone well before it's our turn in the second round. By the third round I think the CB talent will be on the thin side, and we would probably be best served looking at interior OL, either C or LG.

I've heard before that our guys are interested in Kazcur, though I don't know how accurate that is. I could see us getting him and Lo if he's there as well.


I don't know if Duckett really needs to lose weight, but he does look hesitant and/or sluggish a good many times when he first gets the handoff. Heck, I remember back in preseason a few times he started to dance around. If we can just get him to the hit the hole strong and quick he'll be fine.

Besides, with the talent that could be available into the first and second round, I doubt we get any offers that would benefit us. Oakland could try to make a trade if Norv thinks he fits his power offense style. But I don't know if they'd send us their second. If we can work something out for Buchanon to be our other corner in that trade, however, I'd be all over that. I doubt that's likely, but I can dream, can't I



I've seen Elton Brown place for us on a few mock drafts, and they all make me laugh. I can't recall any 6 1/2' 330+ guards being selected in Denver while Gibbs was there, and I don't see it happening here. I mean, if any guard that big could have the quickness Gibbs like to have, then sure... but I don't find that too likely

In the first round I think we have a few options of players to look at even if we don't make any kind of movement with letting our own players go. This going by just who I think will be available at #27, not the entire draft board.

We could look at DEs that are available. If Roth is there, which I have my doubts, I'd love to take him. I think our realistic choices are Tuck or someone like that. I don't think we necessarily need to let Brady go, as depth is always a good thing. Still, it may be too much money for the position if this is the case.

The only DT I'd be happy with in the first is Shaun Cody. I think if he's gone, then there's enough talent at a few other areas that I would feel better looking at those instead of a different DT.

Thurman would be a nice pick up at MLB. He'd be my first choice of the remaining Mike backers, but not necessarily my first choice of the overall talent remaining.

If Rogers, Adams or Webster is there at CB (I'm fairly certain that one of them will be) I'd love to see us get any one of the three, however with the money that went to DeAngelo and Webster last year I don't know if it's a position we could tie first round money into.

At this point I'm not really in the belief that Shazor or Nicholson are first round guys, however if we want either I think we need to act on them here, trade down no more than 10 spots, or try to move our 2nd round pick into the top 10 of that round somehow. I honestly don't feel both will be there past New Orleans at 40, and Kansas City at 46 at the latest.

Now if I branch it open to who I think could fall, I think Jammal Brown tops my list. Honestly, I can't stand Oklahoma and their players being a CU fan, but Brown and Carter are two players I really want to see us get. Brown has played RT at OU and can come in for us and take over for Weiner. Weiner's someone who just hasn't made me believe he's playing worth we pay him, so if we get the chance to upgrade that spot in the draft we have to.

If Roth is there, and Brown isn't, he's my #2 choice. If our RB group gets shaken up somehow, Dunn released for cap concerns, Duckett traded, whatever... I think if Ronnie Brown happens to be available he's #3 on my list. I've heard Gruden is all over him, so if they try to do something like Detriot did last year and get their running back by trading back up, but don't trade into a spot in front of us, it would serve us well to take him on two counts. 1) I think he's got all the tools to be a very good, balanced feature back in the league. He could reach a level similar to what Edge was before injuries got to him. 2) We keep him from going to a division rival that already gives us fits when we visit them. I seriously doubt Pollack or Thomas Davis is there, but either would make me happy if they were.

Looking into the second round, I think Kirk Morrison would be great. Khalif Barnes, if he's sitting there and we didn't get Brown, would be another pick I'd like to see. Again, if something happens at RB where we could use a player, Barber would be a good player to look at IMO. I guess we could look at Vincent Jackson at WR, but I really don't know anything about this guy. I'm always pretty biased against small school guys in the first two rounds, anyhow. Jamaal Brimmer is the safety I'd like us to take if that's the position we address in the second.

In the third, Carter is my first and really only desire to get. If we need to, I'm all for trading up to secure getting him. I don't know if we can sit behind the Jets as they may want him to take over for Mawae. He just turned 34 so looking for a replacement may be on their agenda. In fact, if we take Carter in the second, or trade down from there to do so, I'm all for it. From the couple of games I saw of him, he's what fits into a Gibbs system. Good at reading the defense and picking up blitzes, aggresive but not to a fault of missing his assignment, and quick enough to get to the blocks past the line. If he's not there (No, I'm considering we don't select him ) then after I'm done yelling and swearing, I'd like to hear Nugent's name called. I don't think he'll be there, however if he is I'd really like to see Feely replaced. Probably more than any other starter on the team. Well except maybe Shaffer, but I think we can look at FA for an LT.

Sorry for the lengthy post, I tend to ramble at times

Yes, last year's draft was considered deep at CB, but most of that depth was gone by pick #75, and I think this year's draft will be much the same. A team that grabs a corner in Top 75-100 picks can find talent, a team that doesn't will likely have to settle for nickel back-types.



I'm not sure. Tweeners tend to fall on boards, or they can shoot up. It really all depends on what position teams look at Shazor. There will be some teams that prefer him at LB (Colts, Packers, Bucs, Bears, etc.), but many others we will look at him at S. Although I think the Falcons would prefer a big safety to help stuff the run, I think they are more looking for a guy with Scott's size. Shazor if he measures in at 230+ at the Combines, I think a lot of teams (including us) will see him more as a linebacker than safety.



Good points, but I think at 255 it's an injury waiting to happen. Only one back in my mind has ever been able to carry taht type of weight for a long period of time, and that was Jerome Bettis. But Bettis was always between 240-250. I just don't see any benefit for being that big. It doesn't really add extra power. Duckett ran with more authority this year than any other year, but I wouldn't call him a super powerful back. Just IMO, if Duckett weighed 245 or less, he would be just as powerful, and would probably be a bit quicker, which will only increase his NFL longevity.



I wouldn't sleep on Luis Castillo. He's a guy that is going to probably begin to rise up boards. He's a good fit for what we want, a quick 1-gap tackle with the strength to play the run. He's a better prospect than Antajj Hawthorne at this point, IMO.



Well whomever we pick at #27, likely will command a signing bonus of $3.75-$4.25 million, somewhere in that range. A corner likely will be on the higher end of that scale, but I think considering Webster's contract, it would be a smart move for the future. Webster's cap hit in 2006 is nearly $3 million, and unless we see some significant improvement in his play/durability between now and then, we may have to part ways with him before 2007 ($3.17 million cap hit then).



You are referring to Nugent. Just a little input that the Bears really wanted Janikowski back in 2000, but the Raiders got to him first (the Bears would have probably taken him at #39), and they had to settle for Paul Edinger. I could see a lot of teams in the market for Nugent, including the Titans, Dolphins, Colts, Chiefs, and Giants. I don't see Nugent fallling out of the second round. I think he could be there at #59, but I'm not one who drafts kickers. Nugent, IMO is not as good as Kaeding was last year, and I think that Kaeding was the first kicker in a long time (since Janikowski) that I think was defnitely draftable. I really think that if you look, you can find nearly as good a player in Round 7 or in the undrafted market. Canada and the Arena Leagues put some polish on kickers that come out, so I don't think you need to "waste" a draft pick on a kicker when it's one of the easier positions to find quality outside the draft.



The only thing that has me believing Pollack will drop in this draft is his measurables. Scouts put a lot of emphasis on measurables at the DE position. It's why guys like Bryan Thomas and Erik Flowers went in Round 1 when they didn't deserve it, and while quality ends like Reggie Hayward, Alex Brown, and DeWayne White dropped out the first, despite having the talent to be there. Right now, Pollack is listed at 6'1" 265. But his height is a real question mark in my mind. I wouldn't be at all surprised if come Combine time in Indy, he will only be listed at 5'11". In my mind, Pollack measures about as big as Dwight Freeney (6-1/268) and has a similar style of play as him. I think Pollack deserves to be a Top 5 pick, but if he looks short at the Combines and doesn't have an outstanding 40 time (4.8 or slower), then he's going to drop on boards. Roth IMO, is going to measure pretty well come February, and I think it's going to cause his stock to increase. Actually I don't think either player will be available at #27 when we pick, but I think both have a chance to be there. I just think that with so many teams like Chiefs (#15), Bengals (#17), Cowboys (#20), Jaguars (#21), Packers (#24), Broncos (#25), Jets (#26) all possibly looking to draft DEs in Round 1, it's doubtful that those guys will fall to #27. Tuck is a stronger possibility, but I think the Falcons will look at other positions before they take Tuck, who I think is a slight reach at #27. He seems to be closer to a Thomas-type than anything else.

I did a 1st round mock last nite, and I had us taking Khalif Barnes. Of the players I mentioned above, the following were still available based on my mock:

OT - Barnes, Terry
OG - Baas
DE - Tuck
DT - Castillo, Patterson
LB - Burnett, Thurman
CB - Rogers, Webster, Green



Don't worry a bout it LO. I find it nearly impossible to keep my posts under 200 words

I agree that Roth most likely won't make it to our selection. To be more realistic I think we might consider trying to trade down a bit and hope Tuck is available.

As for Duckett if we could trade him for any pick in which Carter is still on the board I would do so.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't much stock into player sizes. I haven't seen much of Shazor, so I'm not making a direct comparison, but Sean Taylor apparently isn't too big to play safety. I saw him make quite a few plays.

I don't see the Bears interest in it. Urlacher moved to the Will spot in Lovie's defense, right? Briggs has been solid or better at the Sam so there's really no need for another LB converted from S for them.

Although I still doubt he'll be there, if he is there with our second round pick he's a guy I'd like to see here. I was thinking about earlier to today and I feel what he brings would be a nice SS to have here. I will be honest and say I have a few doubts about using Scott at the FS spot, but no more than Hall who's already there

I hear a lot of people coming back from the Senior Bowl and raving about Khalif, so I'm starting to believe we should take him or Brown in the first as top priority. Shazor would be our ideal #2 pick, and I'm still pretty firm in my belief of going after Carter in the third. I think he'll be there early in the third if he weighs in pretty light, so if we can figure out a trade with a team in the top 10 that round we could be set. A thought I had was, provided he's there at their spot, sending our third this year and Duckett to Oakland for their third this year and a conditional pick next year (which would be a first if he lead the team in carries, yards, and TDs... something like that). Norv likes his power backs, doesn't he? They could take Braylon in the first (letting Porter walk in FA), draft another need in the 2nd, and Norv gets a back for his system in the third while still having a pick later on to fill another position. We get to move up in the round and get a center which should help our pass protection out, and a potential first rounder the following season.

New to the board, it won't let me log in. Names VTCDTSYLR, long time lurker and occasional poster at the roost. But College and the draft is what I like talking about so here I am among similair people.

Couple things,
Roth: Reminds me of Justin Smith from Missouri and Bengals fame, can he put it together early?
Eric Green: Pudge, come on, 1st rnd?????? he is lucky to be a second rounder after having a strong junior and senior season. Remember he shredded his knee and missed alot of college time. I love my VT boys but especially our CBs have trouble making the jump to the next level.
Thomas Davis: Why should we spend a 1st round pick on a poor mans Roy Williams who can't cover as well (already bad) and can't hit as hard (woopidie doo) He might look great as a line backer but probably not in the middle where we would need him.

Been checking out a lot of mock drafts now that the Senior Bowl is over.

It would appear that DE's / DT's that will be gone by our pick are:
Erasmus James
David Pollack
Marcus Spears
Shaun Cody
Matt Roth

It seems like Tuck might be our pick unless he has a great combine and climbs a few slots.
All mocks I have seen have Shazor going in the late first or early second so if we want this guy we would have to take him with our #1.
I would love to have Barnes but his stock is rising rapidly. Before the combine I will say he will go as an early to mid second rounder.
I would not mind drafting Eric Green. I think we could use a fast, young corner that could play nickel for us. I would not take this kid before round three however.

So here is a modified draft of the one above. This one a little more realistic perhaps:

1) Trade down adding a third rounder then take DE Justin Tuck
2) Donte Nicholson "might" still be available as he is slipping on some boards it seems
3) Trade Duckett and use the pick here to take C Vince Carter
3) LB Boomer Grigsby
3) DT Lorenzo Alexander
4) CB Eric Green or best coverage corner available (hoping a corner falls and Green "might")
4) OT Nick Kazcur

I think you will be surprised at how high Green moves up in the draft. I haven't seen much of him, but he seems the style of corner that this team is looking for, and considering his experience with DeAngelo, makes it a plus.

I think he's a guaranteed Top 75 pick, and he might get some looks at the top of the 2nd round, and even late 1st round. After all, guys like Nnamdi Asomugha and Sammy Davis, both of whom were not 1st rounders did get picked in the late first.

I also don't think Carter will be a first day pick. Teams I think will be looking at guys like Ben Wilkerson, David Baas, and Jason Brown first among center prospects. Right now, I think Carter is a 4th/5th round prospect.

Coverage ability, although it helps, should not be a high priority for this team when it is looking at the safety position this off-season. You don't want someone that is terrible in coverage, but they can go after a guy that may take a few years to develop in that area.

We need someone that makes an impact on the running game. Scott nor Hall do that. We need a guy with good speed and can hit, and bring a presence to the secondary. Presence causes big plays, something that Hall is incapable of, and Scott only does about once a month or so. Also the plan in the future is to put our corners on islands, so a SS that is more run stopper than coverer is the ideal in that situation.

The OL prospects I see this team targetting are the following:

1st - Barnes and Brown
2nd - Britt, Terry, and Mankins
3rd - Kaczur, and Evan Mathis

I don't really care about anybody on the second day, because as far as I'm concerned they aren't going to be worth much. Notice all our OTs, because I don't think the team is particularly too interested in drafting guards and centers.

I like the kid. I am thinking the torn ACL might drop him a round. I would have no problems taking him as a third rounder in place of Carter. As of now he seems to be a projected 3rd or 4th rould selection which of course will probably change one way or another.


I hope you're right Pudge. This would make it even easier to move TJ in order to draft this kid. Freeing up a guard to help our tackles on the outside and w/blitzing lb's would help this line a lot imo.


I can't disagree. I think Gibbs likes McClure so I don't expect a center to be drafted. Honestly as to the O-Line I only expect a mid-round tackle to be drafted unless we are somehow able to make a move and draft Barnes.


I love this plan!!!! I hate being forced to play a soft zone!!!!

Although this is supposedly a very deep RB draft, I'm not particularly high on any of the prospects coming out this year, including Cadillac and Brown. I will admit that I haven't studied prospects this year like I've done in the past, so I could definitely be full of it on this one, but I'm really not drooling over anybody. The guys that I think are the studs are the first rounders: Cadillac, Brown, and Benson. Everyone else doesn't seem all that special to me.

The second and third tier guys just don't look all that special to me, from what little I've seen of them. Marion Barber, Kay Jay Harris, Cedric Houston, J.J. Arrington, Walter Reyes, etc.. None of these guys looked like solid potential feature backs in the NFL. I'm not saying they are incapable, but they didn't blow me away when I watched them.

Really the only guy that I really like is Darren Sproles because I think he's very similar to Dunn.

I do think the Falcons should draft a RB this year, but unless we get one of those Top 3 guys, I don't really think anybody we bring in is going to be immediately as good or better than Dunn or Duckett. So I'm not for trading Duckett. Sure, it's easier to replace him since he's not all that great, but I'd rather keep him for another year and see how he develops with another year under his belt. It will also be easier trading him after 2005 since he will be entering the final year of his contract, and the dead money is less. Plus, it gives us a year to evaluate our rookie. After all, we were all expecting big things from Quincy Wilson this past year, at least I was. I mean I expected Wilson would supplant Duckett near the end of the year and start eating into his touches. But now he's sitting in Cincinnati as their #4 or #5 runner.

So I'm personally not for trading Dunn or Duckett until we have their replacement on the roster. I never was fond of the 2-headed backfield, but Knapp has converted me. He does it better than anybody else in the NFL today.

I am intrigued by this comment that the plan is to put the corners on an island more. Where do you gather this from. I for one would love this because this fits Hall's strengths more. But all year we played a stupid cover 3.

As for RBs I think there are a few guys who could excel in our system, Sproles, Barber, or Faison. All these guys have one giant thing in common vision and ability to hit a hole like a bolt of lightining. The problem is that unless we dump Dunn or Duckett I can't justify using anything higher then a 5th on a RB. All of these guys will be gone by then I think.

Kickers, ugh. Feely is serviceable, did he lose us games this year, not that I remember. Are we so desperate that we need to spend a highly valuable pick on one NO! Remember teams have been in much worse kicking situations, Skins for the last few years when they had a new kicker every game almost. We may not be great at K but how many games would Nugent have made the difference in? Then also ask how many games would a CB, DT, DE, WR, OG, OT make a difference in. The pick is too valuable to be used on Nugent.

And just a random observation. I don't think you will see as many trades this year, especially in the first round. It is a very even/mediocre draft pool this year and there aren't a lot of guys who teams can target as STUDS they can't live without. This means teams could gamble more on guys being there later or at least guys of an equal grade being there later.

Well TSN's end of year report indicated this, and I also think that it was the plan to do this all year, but Hall's injury limited our ability to do it. Mora admitted that they went to zone because the personnel at the beginning of the year would have struggled in man. But I think one of the reasons the team signed Webster and picked up Hall is because it wants quick man guy that can be left on an island. That will allow the team to blitz more and be more aggressive. As I recall in Green Bay and San Fran, when both teams had their ideal secondaries, the FS (Bronson & Sharper) usually played center field while the SS (Schulters/Parrish & Butler) usually were used all over the field, with the corners (Williams/McKenzie & Webster/Plummer) being put on islands. I recall it was a similar strategy the Broncos used when Donatell was there as well. I think if the Falcons get the right player at CB at the nickel position, you'll see Webster and Hall put in man coverage much more in 2005.



That is true. I think depending on what we do with Dunn's contract will also determine this as well. If we dump Dunn, it becomes a 1st day priority. If only 2005 of Dunn's contract is restrucutured, then we will probably spend a 3rd/4th round pick on a RB. But if Dunn's deal is extended, then I don't think we need to spend a pick higher than 5th on anybody because we'd only be searching for a #3 guy.



I agree, that using a #2 on a kicker is a bit of a waste. Especially when there is no guarantee that Nugent will come in and outplay Feely in training camp. Young kickers struggle in their early career, and I'm sure its only occassionally will a rookie kicker make 80% or more of his FGs his first year in the league. If Nugent is there at #90, I would be less apt to disagree with the pick. But I think if the Falcons are looking at Nugent, they need to get a good look at how he does in a dome. That is the biggest test. He can 100% of his kicks from outside, but considering he's going to do most of his kicking inside (at least 9 games per year), then we need to see how he looks indoors more important. WE have 10 indoor games next season.

Speaking of safties, am I the only one who would like to see us go to a simply safety position as opposed to free or strong safetys. I know this is sorta an ideal world type of thing but you can do it (see patriots). Scott is this kind of guy, and I think you can pick up a guy like Brandon Browner from the draft, or a numer of tweener safeties (mostly converted big corners). This prevents the offense from getting an easy matchup advantage and lets us hide our coverages a little more. You line up either one over tight end and he could be in MTM, Z, or run support. Use the LB too and you add another similair layer, then you establish the ability to zone blitz and cover with our linemen (we do this), and you can really keep the O guessing.

I write this diatribe because I was very tired of seeing cover three over and over and over. While we get eaten up on underneath routes. Especially when all year the recievers we played are guys who don't like to be pressed at the line.

1 Marcus Spears Def End LSU
I think with Brady Smith and Travis Hall, we need someone who can provide instant help on the defensive line. Based on his size and play style, I think Spears would be one of those guys who can play end or Under Tackle.
2 James Butler Free Safety GA Tech
Living in Atlanta, I have seen Butler play quite a bit and always thought he was a guy that had tools to be a round 1 pick but never put it all together. McCadam and Shabazz are career special teamers. We need someone who has the ability to make a play. Cory Hall Sucks. I have always been a Carpenter fan but he had been hurt.
3 Reggie Brown Receiver UGA
Doubt he last this long, but if he does, we have to pick him up. Reggie Brown is one of those receiver who has no fear, and will make that catch over the middle. Also runs well after the catch.
4 CJ Brooks Guard Maryland
Brooks is one of those guys who can and has played guard tackle. He has good movement and footwork for a big guy. And he does not give up sacks for the most part.
5 Kyle Wallace Tackle GA Tech
Wallace is a guy I would think Gibbs would like b/c of his size and quickness. Not over powering, but effective.
5 Tyjuan Hagler OLB Cincinatti
I know, who is this guy? Well based on what I have seen and read on him, he could easily be this year's D Williams. Fast and Athletic. He runs a 4.4 and tackles well.
6 David Bergeron MLB Stanford
This guy is a hammer in the middle.
7 Adam Finley Punter Michigan
Chris Mohr has to retire. Not sure Finley will be here this late but he has good placement.

What can I say..... With the season over I am going through withdrawels. Draft and free agency keeps me going.

I would love for us to get Shazor. I think that we need to draft a saftey, MLB, and a DL this year. Shaun Cody is my first pick for the DL. Shazor is my favorite at S and I would like to get Thurman or Grigsby at MLB.