Last night I just finished my full 1st round mock. As a Falcons fan I always do a full 7 round mock of the Falcons as well. I try to go for accuracy and use players that we’ve talked to. But of course I’ll tend to stick with the players I like as well. So here is my Falcons mock.
1st Round
Torrey Smith – WR – Maryland
As a Falcons fan I know our biggest need is defensive end but look at the board. Which defensive end left would come in right away and significantly help our pass-rush? I don’t see any. The Falcons would love to land Kerrigan but he will be long gone. The whole off-season has been surrounded by the words “explosive play-makers†and Torrey Smith fits the bill. Not to mention he is a hard worker and a standout human being. Before you say the Falcons don’t draft Juniors, they have drafted 2 juniors before and Torrey Smith has graduated and has earned his degree. Something both of the two other Juniors the Falcons  drafted did as well.
2nd Round
Brooks Reed – DE – Arizona
I know Reed is hyped up to be a first round prospect but I just don’t see it. I wrote about how I think he will “fall” on draft day (in the medias eye) to the 2nd or 3rd round. That’s where he should be graded. He will give us the defensive end we’ve been looking for this off-season. If you don’t think he will be there, substitute in Sam Acho who we’ve also shown interest in.
3rd Round
Jordan Cameron – TE – USC
A popular pick if you are a Falcons fan but it could very well happen. We have shown interest in him and tight end is a clear need. Cameron would come in and learn a lot from Gonzalez while also getting quite a few snaps. He has the potential to develop into a great receiving tight end and that’s certainly worth a 3rd round pick.
4th Round
Mason Foster – OLB – Washington
Colin McCarthy could easily be the pick here but I think he goes a lot earlier. Foster gets a lot of love but don’t be surprised  if he falls a bit on draft day. I think the 4th round is a good landing spot for him. He is a tough linebacker who could come in and replace Peterson from day one. Foster would play the strong side on our defense.
5th Round
Derrick Locke – RB – Kentucky
We have shown interest in a number of the middle round running backs so I definitely think we are targeting one. Locke is exactly the type of running back we need. He’s a home run threat that is very versatile. He can return kicks and he can line up in the slot to catch passes. He’s a do-it-all type of guy that would be a welcomed addition to our offense.
6th Round
Willie Smith – OT – ECU
Willie Smith isn’t very polished but has the athleticism to develop into a starting left tackle in the league. Sam Baker is inconsistent but I think he will start for at least one more year. That will give Smith a whole season to get coached up on his technique. He has the athleticism, he just has to put it all together.
7th Round
Frank Kearse – DT – Alabama A&M
The Falcons have always had a bunch of UT’s on the roster but never any true run-stuffing nose tackles. Kearse can be that guy for us. I say we need a nose tackle because we have looked at a few already this off-season. We could take a late-round flier on one or bring one in as a free agent.
Cole Brodie – CB/S – South Dakota State
Here we take a flier on a late round prospect that certainly stacks up athletically. He played safety at SDSU but he lacks the size to play there in the NFL, so a move to corner is possible. He has the speed (4.45) to do so. He’s worth a 7th rounder
Justin Roper – QB – Montana
We end the 7th round with another small school player. The Falcons are in the market for a back-up quarterback since Chris Redman won’t be around forever. Dimitroff is not afraid of drafting players from Montana and he could very well do it again this year. Roper has the size but will obviously need to be coached up. Hopefully he can learn a lot while Matt Ryan plays.
