Three years ago, the Falcons had the #8 selection in the NFL Draft and took CB DeAngelo Hall. With the identical draft position in 2007, who will they take? We have a second round of opinions of draft experts who cover the NFL.
Here is a sampling of the opinions from various mock drafts, which do not represent the actual views of the Falcons' personnel staff (click the links provided for each site's mock draft) If the draft expert had a different player selected by the Falcons in the last installment (March 26), it is noted after the current pick:
John Murphy, Yahoo! Sports: LSU S LaRon Landry (no change). "The addition of Landry would give them an instant playmaker in the middle of field to pair with All-Pro cover corner DeAngelo Hall. A pair of options would be for them to go after either offensive tackle Levi Brown -- a bigger, more physical type blocker that head coach Bobby Petrino now says he prefers -- or former Petrino standout Amobi Okoye." Second round - #39 - Georgia DE Charles Johnson (was Florida State OLB Lawrence Timmons), #44 - Houston QB Kevin Kolb (was Southern California OL Ryan Kalil).
Rob Rang, The Sports Xchange: Penn State T Levi Brown (was Landry). "New head coach Bobby Petrino wants to transform Atlanta's smaller, zone-blocking line into a bigger, burlier unit. The physical run-blocking Brown would be an excellent addition." Second round - #39 - Florida DE Ray McDonald, #44 - Tennessee CB Jonathan Wade.
Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN: Arkansas DE Jamaal Anderson (no change). "The loss of Patrick Kerney in free agency makes this a need area, but the Falcons should be keeping their fingers crossed that either CB Hall or S Landry is still on the board."
Todd McShay, Scouts, Inc. (ESPN Insider): Louisvlle DT Amobi Okoye (was Landry). "The Falcons would love for Landry to fall to them at No. 8, where they now pick following the Schaub trade. They also should strongly consider OT Levi Brown. However, don't be surprised if new head coach Bobby Petrino steers GM Rich McKay in the direction of Okoye, who played for Petrino at Louisville. The 19-year-old has bulked up to 300-plus pounds and recently ran the 40 in the 4.8-second range at an on-campus workout."
Pat Kirwan, NFL.com: Landry (was Okoye). "After trading Matt Schaub, the Falcons now are two spots higher at No. 8 and will take Landry if he's here. He is the best safety in the draft and should be a Week 1 starter. If not, it will be Amobi Okoye. Bobby Petrino is the new head coach and he coached the 19-year-old in college. If Landry and Okoye are not available, then Levi Brown would be a good fit."
Vic Carucci, NFL.com: Landry (no change). "New coach Bobby Petrino wants to add size and strength to his offensive line, so Brown is a possibility if he is available. If the Falcons stick with their board, Landry would give them the very best player at a position of need and one of the top prospects in the draft."
Jamie Dukes, NFL Network: Brown (no change). "The Falcons have several holes and did not have the luxury of keeping Matt Schaub. By moving up to the No. 8 position, the Falcons will draft the cornerstone tackle they need in Levi Brown. Current Atlanta left tackle Wayne Gandy still has something left in the tank, so if I am the Falcons, I put Brown at left guard, an area that has been a week spot for years. The when Gandy is done, Atlanta can move Brown to tackle. With the Schaub trade, the Falcons have three of the first 44 picks (8th, 39th and 44th) this year and a pair of second-round picks in 2008. They got a lot for a guy who has never won an NFL game and is slightly over a 50 percent passer -- hats off to Rich McKay."
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Landry (no change). "I like Landry's potential to become the next Ed Reed, a defensive back who makes his presence felt all over the field. The Falcons have been struggling to find answers at safety for a while, and Landry, the brother of Ravens strong safety Dawan Landry, can be a secondary stalwart for years to come. The Falcons probably could have gotten LaRon at No. 10, but jumping over both the Dolphins and Texans nearly guarantees he will be hot property of Hotlanta."
Pete Prisco, CBSSportsline.com: Anderson (no change). "They lost Patrick Kerney, so they need to find a replacement. This kid has big-time speed off the corner."
Clark Judge, CBSSportsline.com: Anderson (no change). "With Patrick Kerney gone, Falcons looking for speed off the edge. Next to Adams, this is the best DE out there."
Don Banks, CNNSI.com: Anderson (no change). "The Falcons will be tempted by having their pick of the top cornerbacks -- Michigan's Leon Hall and Pitt's Darrelle Revis, who ran a 4.38 in his pro day 40 -- but given the loss of Patrick Kerney in free agency, the pass rush will get the first-round attention. If you're wondering, Atlanta probably could have gotten Anderson at No. 10, even before it gained two spots in this week's trade with Houston."
Scott Wright, NFLDraftCountdown.com: Anderson (no change). "Thanks to the Matt Schaub trade the Falcons are now picking a little higher than expected and while a couple of picks might not seem like much it could have a huge effect on their plans. After losing Patrick Kerney, one of their best players, as a free agent defensive end is a huge need and when you factor in John Abraham's inability to stay healthy this pick makes a lot of sense. Jamaal Anderson hasn't gotten a lot of national attention but he is a premier prospect who is coming off a junior season in which he tallied 19.5 tackles for a loss and 13.5 sacks. Bobby Petrino also wants to get bigger up front and Levi Brown would help them accomplish that goal while LaRon Landry is exactly the type of impact safety they've been looking for. Then there is always the possibility of a trade up for Calvin Johnson and while they now have plenty of ammo courtesy of the Schaub deal it would be very costly and would likely take a package of their #1, both 2nd rounders and their 3rd rounder to get up to #2 overall and I really don't foresee that happening."
Derek Harper, NFLDraftScout.com (new mock added): Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson. "The Falcons need secondary help, but if Landry is off the board there might not be another defense back worthy of this pick. That's where the 'best available athlete' debate could come into play. Warrick Dunn is entering his 11th season, and he and impressive youngster Jerious Norwood might suffer with the Falcons going away from the zone blocking scheme under new coach Bobby Petrino. Peterson is the big, game-changing back Petrino might find too good to pass up."
ProFootballTalk.com: First round - #8 - Landry (was Peterson). Second round - #39 - Miami (Fla.) S Brandon Meriweather (was Southern California WR Dwayne Jarrett), #44 - Michigan DE LaMarr Woodley (no change).
