The Falcons earned an “A” grade for selecting Florida tight end Kyle Pitts because he was the best player available on the board when they picked at No. 4 overall Thursday.
He clearly was the best position player in the draft, and some people rated him even higher than No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.
So, the Falcons didn’t reach for a need. It would have been nice to get the quarterback of the future with Justin Fields available, but he would have had to sit for one to three years.
However, if Oregon tackle Penei Sewell turns in a Pro Football Hall of Fame career, the Falcons may regret the pick way down the road.
We’re still waiting to see what’s the plan for the offensive and defensive lines.
It was pointed out (by me) to Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith that the offensive line has given up 133 sacks over the past three seasons and that the run game has been ranked 27th, 30th and 27th.
Matt Ryan won’t be able to get the ball to the dynamic Pitts if he’s getting sacked 40 times again.
What’s the plan to fix that? We didn’t even get to addressing the pass rush yet, but here’s what they said about the dire offensive line situation.
“You have to have a succession plan everywhere,” Smith said. “Then obviously there’s players if it goes to free agency. You’re always looking to add at multiple spots. There’s multiple ways to address that. Obviously the draft is right here in front of us, the easiest way. “
(Not sure why Smith brought up free agency since they don’t have much money under the salary cap to spend and are considering trading wide receiver Julio Jones.)
The Falcons didn’t have Sewell, who went three picks later to Detroit, rated higher than Pitts.
“We don’t want to reach for somebody,” Smith said. “As the spring goes on, the rhythm of the NFL offseason, there’s players that are available. There’s certainly trades that you can make. We’ll look to do that at every spot to constantly turn this roster and improve. You have to. That’s our charge, and that’s our job.”
One hundred and thirty-three sacks!
“The roster building goes outside of free agency, outside of the draft,” Fontenot said. “It’s a continuous process whether we’re signing veterans after the draft, based off what other teams do, what other teams draft. There could be players available via trade or players that get let go, get cut.”
The Falcons plan to look at all avenues for offensive line help. They will be fourth on the waiver wire after going 4-12 last season. So, if another team cuts a good lineman, they can claim him if the Jaguars, Jets or Texans pass.
“You go all the way through the summer, you go in training camp,” Fontenot said. “I can think of years where we’re going to be high in the claiming order. You can claim players. There are going to be a lot of opportunities to continue to build this roster. We want to make sure we have discipline over the next two days and take the best players off the board. We’ll continue to build a roster.”
Smith was in Tennessee in 2015 when the Falcons traded for Andy Levitre to help secure the left guard position. They gave up a sixth-round pick on Sept. 4 to get him and the rugged mauler started immediately.
He was on the Super Bowl team the following season, but began to decline in 2017 with injuries.
“Trades happen in training camp,” Smith said. “Think about what Andy Levitre got here. Andy did a heck of a job here, had a great career with the Falcons. Those things pop.”
Clearly, Fontenot and Smith plan to use not only the draft to fix their myriad of issues on the football team.
“You’ve got to constantly (check) the phones, see what’s available,” Smith said. “But you’re always looking. Obviously the quarterback spot is critical. But you’re looking at it year to year, and the rest of the roster. There’s multiple ways to acquire players.”
The Falcons got their shiny offensive weapon in the first round, but must find some help for the trenches.
Falcons Draft Order
Round 1 | Pick 4 (4 overall) -- Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Round 2 | Pick 3 (35 overall)
Round 3 | Pick 4 (68 overall)
Round 4 | Pick 3 (108 overall)
Round 5 | Pick 4 (148 overall)
Round 5 | Pick 38* (182 overall)
Round 5 | Pick 39* (183 overall)
Round 6 | Pick 3 (187 overall)
Round 6 | Pick 35* (219 overall)
* - Denotes a compensatory pick.
AJC’S POSITION-BY-POSITION NFL DRAFT SERIES
QUARTERBACKS: How far will Justin Fields drop in draft? | Top 10 QBs
RUNNING BACKS: Plenty of prospects to pick from | Top 10 RBs
WIDE RECEIVERS: Draft deep with talent | Top 10 WRs
TIGHT ENDS: Ability to create mismatches is key | Top 10 TEs
OFFENSIVE TACKLES: A ‘nasty’ bunch | Top 10 OTs
OFFENSIVE GUARDS/CENTERS: The men in the middle | Top 10 C/OGs
END RUSHERS: Pass on this draft stock | Top 10 DEs
DEFENSIVE TACKLES: One star among lackluster block | Top 10 DTs
LINEBACKERS: Deep class for position | Top 10 LBs
CORNERBACKS: Plethora of options for first two rounds | Top 10 CBs
SAFETIES: Falcons likely will add position player | Top 10 Safeties
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