The Falcons are expected to select a defensive player in the first round of the NFL Draft. It would mark the first time that’s happened since A.J. Terrell in 2020 and the first time in Terry Fontenot’s tenure.
With so many holes on that side of the ball, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Atlanta will use their most valuable resource to fill at least one of them.
“Not so fast, my friend!” Lee Corse yelled. According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, offensive tackle is in play for the Falcons.
“Despite team owner Arthur Blank saying the emphasis of the team’s draft “will certainly” be on defensive players, don’t rule out the Falcons using one of their first two picks on an offensive player — specifically a tackle. They currently have 11-year veteran Jake Matthews at left tackle and six-year veteran Kaleb McGary at right tackle, which is now the blindside blocking position because starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is left-handed.”
I’m sure a lot of Falcons fans hate what they hear right now, and I don’t love the idea of taking a tackle. At the present moment, it’s not even one of the top three most pressing needs, but hear me out.
If Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris hypothetically knew their jobs weren’t in jeopardy this season, finding Michael Penix Jr.’s blindside could be seen as a much more critical task than improving certain facets of the defense. Protecting your franchise quarterback is arguably the most important thing in the game.
In a different vein, if Fontenot and Morris’ seats were warm, you’d obviously be able to make the case that Kaleb McGary is more than servicable, and the team’s resources would be better used on the defense. That would likely result in more wins in the short-term, which would effectively improve the chances of them keeping their jobs. Selecting a tackle would be a long-term play more so than trying to be as good of a team as possible in 2025.
What irks me about this entire thing doesn’t even have anything to do with the fact that the Falcons obviously need a defender and could use their first-round pick on a tackle. It has to do with the Falcons process, which increasingly seems like its just leadership making it up as they go.
During the NFL Combine, the Falcons made this huge deal about only sending defensive coaches to Indianapolis and that all 45 of their interviews would be used on defensive players. It’s trivial stuff, but it highlights the goofy nature of how Atlanta conducts business.
Shortly after, news broke that Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot attended a private workout for Kelvin Banks, an offensive tackle out of Texas that many believe will be a first-round pick.
It’s just more confirmation that the Falcons are an unserious franchise.
