Falcons could land Gonzalez's heir apparent

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As the 2010 NFL draft inches closer, the Falcons could be preparing to pull off a major shocker.

While most of the buildup to the draft has centered on improving the defense, it might be wise to think out of that defensive box.

The Falcons have thoroughly scouted the linebacker and center positions. A lot of mock drafters have the Falcons taking either Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, Florida center Maurkice Pouncey or Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham.

But a shocker pick could be Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham, who was in Flowery Branch on April 8 for a private workout and a meet and greet with the offensive coaches.

He did not play last season after having knee surgery, but flashed enough over his career to be compared to Kellen Winslow Sr. by Gil Brandt, the legendary former personnel man of the Dallas Cowboys who's an analyst for NFL.com and Sirius radio.

Most of the mock drafts have Gresham going to the Cincinnati Bengals, who have the 21st pick in the draft, two slots behind the Falcons.

Last season, the Falcons were frothing over Oklahoma State's tight end Brandon Pettigrew before they made the trade for Tony Gonzalez, who has two years remaining on his contract.

If greatness is projected for Gresham, it would make sense for the Falcons to snap him up and let him learn under Gonzalez for a year or two.

The draft is deep in defensive talent, and the team could address those concerns later.

"He's a physically gifted, athletically gifted tight end. ... He runs extremely well," said ESPN analyst Mel Kiper. "He gets down the field like a wide receiver. He made a lot of huge catches for [Oklahoma quarterback] Sam Bradford. ... He's basically a big wide receiver."

Bradford, who could be the first player taken in the draft, is a big Gresham supporter.

"I can't say enough good things about him," Bradford said. "Any time I saw him out there with a one-on-one matchup, I wanted to take it because he was going to beat whoever was guarding him."

Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is a former tight end. He's known to demand that players at that position also do the dirty work of blocking.

"Blocking is a big issue with him," Kiper said. "He's improved some. There were some games where he blocked better than others. Some teams are not as down on him as a blocker as some other teams."

If the Falcons don't pull off the shocker pick, they could address the position later in the draft. Arizona's Rob Gronkowski is considered the second-rated tight end, but he'll likely be drafted in the second round.

The Falcons gave up their second-round pick in the Gonzalez trade.

"[Florida's] Aaron Hernandez is probably more of a third-round pick the way it looks right now," Kiper said. "[Dennis] Pitta from BYU and [USC's] Anthony McCoy would be two others. Clay Harbor from Missouri State is an H-back, a move tight end. It's a very deep group of tight-end candidates this year."

Another interesting tight end prospect to couple with Gonzalez would be Miami's Jimmy Graham, who played four years of basketball and one season of football for the Hurricanes.

Gonzalez also played basketball in college.