Good morning. This is LEADOFF, the early buzz in Atlanta sports.
It's draft day, which will be a long day for Falcons fans because the NFC champs won't make a selection, barring a trade, until the 31st pick of tonight's first round.
So to kick off the day, let's consult some of the many mock drafts for a preview of who the Falcons might pick in the first round:
The latest mock draft by the AJC's D. Orlando Ledbetter has the Falcons drafting Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp at No. 31.
Two of four mocks by NFL.com analysts also pencil in Lamp as the Falcons' first-round pick, while the other two go with Washington cornerback Kevin King and Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton.
Sports Illustrated's mock draft has Charlton as Atlanta's first-round pick.
Fox Sports' Dieter Kurtenbach has the Falcons picking UCLA defensive end Takk McKinley.
CBS Sports' Rob Rang has them taking Washington safety Budda Baker.
ESPN's NFL Nation mock draft pegs Kansas State outside linebacker/defensive end Jordan Willis to the Falcons.
USA Today projects Alabama offensive lineman Cam Robinson as Atlanta's first-round pick.
If you don’t favor any of the above, or if you think all of the above will be gone before the 31st pick, there are plenty more mock drafts out there….
And the Falcons, for the record, say they're keeping an open mind.
* * *
To advance to the second round of the playoffs, the Hawks will have to win Game 6 against the Wizards on Friday night at Philips Arena and then win a Game 7 in Washington on Sunday.
That’s where things stand after the Wizards’ 103-99 win in Game 5 Wednesday night gave Washington a 3-2 lead in a series in which the home team has won every game to this point.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Game 5 winner of a best-of-seven NBA playoff series tied 2-2 has proceeded to win the series 82 percent of the time.
Click here for Chris Vivlamore's report.
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