As the NFL free-agency period churns to a slow grind, teams around the league are turning their focus to the draft, which is less than a month away.
The first round of the draft will be held April 25. Rounds 2 and 3 are set for April 26 and rounds 4-7 for April 27.
The Falcons, who figure to load up on defensive players, have 11 picks. While the top of the draft lacks the star power of last season, with no superstar quarterback prospect, the draft is considered deep at several positions.
“It’s exciting to see that it’s a nice group of defensive players,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “Both lines, offensively and defensively, there are a number of players that can be impactful for a lot of teams. It’s a nice safety group. In all, I believe that it’s a good group of talent across the board.”
Here’s a look at some of the issues, a month out:
Draft slots: The Falcons hold 11 picks in the draft. They will pick 30th in the first round and 28th in the second (60th overall). Their other picks: third round (30th/92nd overall), fourth round (30th/127th; 36th/133rd, compensatory), fifth round (30th/163rd), sixth round (30th/198th), seventh round (30th/236th; 37th/243rd, compensatory; 38th/244th, compensatory; and 43rd/249th, compensatory.)
Compensatory picks can’t be traded.
Mock drafts: Draft analysts are all over the board on who the Falcons will take with the 30th pick.
Todd McShay of ESPN and Charles Davis and Gil Brandt of NFL.com have them selecting Stanford tight end Zach Ertz. Mel Kiper of ESPN and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com have them taking Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner.
Former NFL general manager Charlie Casserly, an NFL Network analyst, has the Falcons selecting Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant.
Faster Te'o: Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, who went through the fake Internet girlfriend hoax, had his Pro Day on Tuesday. Te'o ran a faster time in the 40-yard dash than he did at the NFL combine.
McShay timed him at 4.71 and 4.75, which was better than the 4.82 he ran at the combine.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock still believes that T’eo will be selected in the first round. Minnesota, Chicago and Baltimore are possible landing spots for Te’o.
Who's on the rise? Central Michigan's Eric Fisher was known only to insiders until he turned in a solid week of work at the Senior Bowl and then followed with a strong combine.
He’s now popping up in the top 10 on most draft boards and could go to Philadelphia, which picks fourth.
Whose stock is falling? Texas A&M defensive end Damontre Moore was considered a top-10 pick before he turned in a meek showing at the combine.
Moore lifted 225 pounds on the bench press only 12 times. That was the lowest total of the 37 defensive linemen at the combine. He also ran a truck-like-slow 4.95 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
A taste of honey: Where will Tyrann Mathieu, the player formerly known as the Honey Badger, be drafted?
Mayock projects that he’ll be drafted in the third or fourth round.
Mathieu, who played at LSU, appeared headed for superstar status after winning a slew of awards, including the SEC defensive player of the year after the 2011 season.
He’s been frank when speaking to NFL teams about his substance-abuse issues and will get a shot.
“He’s a slot defender, a nickel-type guy with return skills,” Mayock said. “How he handles, not the public meetings because I would expect him to say all of the right things, but how he handles things privately with all of the teams and whether they buy into him or not are the most important issues.”
Mock of the top 10: SEC commissioner Mike Slive likely will get to stick his chest out again during the draft. The best conference in college football could have six of the first 10 players selected in the first round.
Here’s The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s mock top 10 — 1. Kansas City: Luke Joeckel, LT, Texas A&M; 2. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon; 3. Oakland: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida; 4. Philadelphia: Eric Fisher, LT, Central Michigan; 5. Detroit: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama; 6. Cleveland: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia; 7. Arizona: Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU; 8. Buffalo: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia; 9. New York Jets: Ziggy Ansah, DE, BYU; and, 10. Tennessee: Chance Warmack, G, Alabama.
Milliner is drawing a lot of pre-draft attention.
“What I see on tape is a tough instinctive guy who tackles,” Mayock said. “I love a corner that will tackle.”
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