The Falcons' Draft Grades

The NFL draft was amazing and surprisingly well-executed considering the circumstances this year and most teams (except the Packers) did a great job of improving their rosters. The Falcons had a successful draft themselves and I can’t wait to see our rookies turn their dreams into reality when they step on the field on Sundays. Here are my grades and thoughts of all six picks the Falcons made in the 2020 NFL draft.

First Round Pick #16: A.J Terrell, Cornerback, Clemson Grade: A- I like this pick, but I expected the Falcons to be more aggressive and trade up into the top ten for Isaiah Simmons or Javon Kinlaw. Instead, we stayed at 16 and selected A.J Terrell to be our #1 corner after cutting Desmond Trufant in the offseason. Terrell is a fantastic press-man corner who can step in and do a good job on an island against the top receivers in the NFL. My first choice here was Yetur Gross-Matos because we need a great 4-3 defensive end who can generate pressure one-on-one, but Terrell was my second choice and he fills our biggest need which is a #1 corner who can play press-man coverage. Second Round Pick #47: Marlon Davidson, Defensive Tackle, Auburn Grade: B+ We were so close to getting Yetur Gross-Matos in the second round, but we ended up with Marlon Davidson who is a first-round talent and could’ve gone in the late twenties. Davidson is a versatile defensive lineman who has the size and power to play defensive tackle while also having the athleticism and hands to play defensive end. He’ll play defensive tackle for the Falcons, but if necessary he can slide to the outside and play defensive end which gives us a lot of options on our defensive line. Third Round Pick #78: Matt Hennessy, Center, Temple Grade: A A lot of Falcons’ fans didn’t understand this pick, but this was honestly one of my favorite picks we made this year. Hennessey is a versatile interior offensive lineman who is very athletic, great as a pulling guard, and fits our scheme perfectly. Alex Mack is getting up there in age and has hinted that he’s nearing retirement. Hennessy will start and left guard this year, replacing James Carpenter, and replace Mack at center when he retires. Our front office was looking towards the future with this pick and I love that. Fourth Round Pick #119: Mykal Walker, Linebacker, Fresno State Grade: B

Mykal Walker is a very athletic linebacker who’s versatile and has good field-awareness. He can step in and replace De’Vondre Campbell who we decided not to resign

Fourth Round Pick # 134: Jaylinn Hawkins, Safety, California Grade: C+ Watkins is a ball hawk and had ten career interceptions at California. He was a pretty good sidekick for Ashtyn Davis who went to the Jets in the third round. I like the player and I think he could fill in for Keanu Neal who is injury prone, but I really wanted a running back who can split carries with Todd Gurley and be a long term starter if we don’t bring Gurley back. I also would’ve liked to bring in a receiver to be our WR #3. This is a solid pick, but we did have other needs here.

Seventh Round Pick 228: Sterling Hofrichter, Punter, Syracuse Grade: F Hofrichter may end up being the greatest punter ever, but drafting a punter when you have solid players available like Parnel Motley and Kenny Willekes isn’t smart. You can sign a quality undrafted punter, but it’s hard to find a starter in the seventh round and I think Motley could possibly start at corner for the Falcons. Of course the Bucs signed him and now the NFC South is an even more difficult division to be a part of. The Falcons had a good draft and I love what we did in the first four rounds. Although I had lower grades for our last two picks, I still like what we did as a whole and I can’t wait to see this team play after the really good offseason we had. It’s going to be a really fun season and I can’t wait for September to roll around.