It’s time for our post-NFL combine Falcons mock draft, and we’ve made a lot of changes from version 1.0. In fact, there’s only one player’s worth of overlap.
Draft boards across the NFL have changed for a lot of reasons. Teams have a lot more information now, not only from testing and on-field workouts but also from in-person interviews in Indianapolis. Each team was allowed 20-minute formal interviews with 45 prospects of their choosing in addition to whatever conversations they could manage to grab in the halls of Lucas Oil Stadium or the convention center.
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“Some people may not value the combine as much, but we want to be here and we want to be here as much as we can and take full advantage of it because everything matters,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. “You want to get as much exposure as you can have.”
For the purposes of this mock draft, we’re going to assume two things. First that Atlanta has addressed its chief needs (pass rush and secondary) through free agency, and, second, that head coach Arthur Smith has locked Fontenot out of the room so he can use six of his eight picks on offensive players.
We used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator for this exercise.
GO DEEPERDane Brugler's NFL mock draft, 3.0: Bears move down twice and Colts land No. 1Round 1, Pick 8: Peter Skoronski, OL, Northwestern
This is a solid and sensible pick. In other words, no one is going to be super excited when the commissioner steps up to the lectern on that Thursday night and says the Falcons are selecting a guy who’s about to play guard. Still, it makes sense for the present and the future, which is what makes it too tempting to pass up. Skoronski can be Atlanta’s starting left guard as a rookie (or right tackle if Kaleb McGary is not re-signed) while also preparing to step in at left tackle when Jake Matthews retires. Matthews is entering his 10th season and has played 150 career games. It can’t last forever.
Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski has short arms for a tackle, but he downplayed concerns about that during interviews at the combine. (Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)
Skoronski, 6 feet 4, 313 pounds, had an uneventful combine. The only possible red flag was his arms measured 32.25 inches, the sixth shortest among offensive linemen in Indianapolis.
“I guess some people just look to measurables, some people that really don’t understand the position that think, ‘Oh, you’re a tackle. There’s longer D-ends out there so you need longer arms,’” Skoronski said. “You win blocks with your feet, really. That’s always been my philosophy. Continuing to work on things like punch timing and hand placement have been huge things for me to sort of alleviate that sort of issue, which is something I have to work on for sure. … There’s nothing I can do about my arm length. I can’t just sit here and complain about it. Not that it really matters anyways. There’s plenty of way more important things in terms of being a good offensive lineman.”
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Round 2, Pick 44: Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
Maybe the star of the combine, Adebawore worked out with the edge defenders despite being the size of a defensive tackle (6 feet 2, 282 pounds). He ran a 4.49 40-yard dash, had a vertical jump of 37.5 and broad jumped 10.5 feet. Adebawore also knows what NFL offensive linemen look like and play like. He practiced against Rashawn Slater, a 2021 first-round pick, and Skoronski while with the Wildcats.
“Both are very talented, both got me to elevate my game,” Adebawore said. “You’ve got to bring it with those guys every day. I bring it with whoever I go against, but especially those guys kind of helped my game and they’ve made me a better player for sure.”
Adebawore totaled 9 1/2 sacks and 74 tackles in his final two seasons at Northwestern while playing all across the defensive front. He’s also actual royalty, which should make it easy for Smith to give him a teasing nickname, which is one of his favorite things to do with rookies.
“I don’t know all the information, but I will say my dad’s a prince, as well as me and my brothers. My grandpa’s a king in this village in Nigeria, so that’s kind of what I know about that,” Adebawore said.
Round 3, Pick 75: Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
Isn’t the third round too high for a running back, especially for a team that already has Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson? Sure, but …
4.32u
Devon Achane improves his time on his 2nd attempt 💨 @AggieFootball
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/DOU0fCKkIq— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2023
Achane, 5-9, 188 pounds, ran the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash by a running back in combine history and proved at Texas A&M that he can run between the tackles, gaining 2,376 career yards. Achane did wide receiver drills in Indianapolis, hoping to prove to teams that he can be used as a slot receiver as well as out of the backfield. If he can add versatility to his most obvious attribute, Achane could be a home run hitter right away for the Falcons.
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In the interest of full disclosure, Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry was available at this spot, and he feels more like a Falcons pick than Achane. Plus, the Falcons coaching staff spent a week with Perry at the Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas in February, and this staff loves familiarity.
Round 4, Pick 110: Jakorian Bennett, CB Maryland
You thought Achane was fast? Check out Bennett. The 5-11, 188-pounder ran a 4.3 40-yard dash. He had a vertical jump of 40.5 inches. And he’s played a lot of football. In the last two seasons, he has played 25 games and intercepted five passes. Even if Atlanta nabs a starting-level cornerback in free agency, Bennett is worth a fourth-round pick because he can help right away on special teams.
GO DEEPERWhich defensive players look like they might be Falcons after the NFL combine?Round 4, Pick 113: Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion
The 6-7, 255-pound Penn State transfer had some of the best overall athletic testing numbers by a tight end in NFL combine history. He ran a 4.55 40-yard dash and added a vertical jump of 40 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches. Both his jumps were the best among this year’s tight ends. Kuntz missed most of 2022 due to injury. When he was healthy as a junior, he had 73 catches for 692 yards and five touchdowns. Plus, he has shown a willingness to be an effective run blocker.
TE Zack Kuntz (#80) ODU (Bills Archetype)
*Lanky, rangy tight end
*Positional leverage blocker
*Drops hips on contact to create lift in run game
*Tools to be an effective run blocker
*Uses length to create some separation
*Length can help extend boundary limits (Short side… https://t.co/qQCxgg16ck pic.twitter.com/iEdDT1FDxO— Erik Turner (@ErikJTurner) March 5, 2023
Round 5, Pick 161: Aidan O’Connell, QB, Purdue
This is the lone holdover pick from the last Falcons mock draft, except this time we get O’Connell a round later. Even if Atlanta thinks Desmond Ridder is going to be its starter for the next 10 seasons, it’s worth taking a shot on a quarterback in the fifth round. Especially O’Connell, the 6-3, 213-pounder who played four college seasons and compiled almost 5,000 career yards. If he turns out to be a starter-caliber player, it’s an enormous value in the fifth round even if it’s in future trade value. If he doesn’t, it’s just a fifth-round pick.
GO DEEPERWhich offensive players look like they might be Falcons after the NFL combine?Round 7, Pick 226: Justin Shorter, WR, Florida
Shorter had a quiet combine, but he checks some boxes that Atlanta really likes — chiefly size. The former Gator is 6-4, 229 pounds. He played five years of college football, starting his career at Penn State before transferring to Florida, and he caught more than 100 career passes. He also got to know the Falcons coaching staff while participating in the Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas.
Round 7, Pick 247: Mohamed Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota
Yes, we’re using 25 percent of our picks on running backs. Yes, the analytics folks will scream about how dumb that is, but if Ibrahim is still around in the seventh round, it’s going to be tough for Smith to pass on him. This guy is a Falcons back through and through. He measured 5-8, 203 pounds at the combine and didn’t work out, but check out these college numbers — 867 carries, 4,668 yards, 53 touchdowns on a team that didn’t have a lot else on offense. He’s Tyler Allgeier 2.0.
(Top photo of Adetomiwa Adebawore: Tony Quinn / Icon Sportswire viaAssociated Press)
Josh Kendall , a Georgia native, has been following the Falcons since Jeff Van Note was the richly bearded face of the franchise. For 20 years before joining The Athletic NFL staff, he covered football in the SEC. He also covers golf for The Athletic. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshTheAthletic
