Atlanta Falcons
2010 NFL Draft Analysis
1st Round
(1-16) |
31st
Round (17-32) |
2nd Round |
3rd Round
4th Round
| 5th Round
|
6th Round
|
7th Round
| Top Free Agents
First Round
Sean Weatherspoon, OLB Missouri 6-1, 239 (ILB)
Overall Pick No. 19 CFN Overall Ranking: 21
Absolute need pick taken at the right time. Get ready to put the earmuffs on, because Atlanta hasn’t had a talker like this since Deion was high-stepping down the Georgia Dome sidelines. The Falcons needed to take a versatile linebacker, and while Weatherspoon might not be the pass rusher that Sergio Kindle is, he’s a playmaker who could instantly become the face of the defense.
A natural leader who’s very yappy, but is the type of player everyone wants to be around and follow, he had an ultra-productive career and proved at the Combine to be extremely strong with nice quickness. Always around the ball, he’s an active defender who holds up well against big blockers and he doesn’t miss a tackle when he gets there. He doesn’t have the best range and is a bit small, but his intensity and his tackling make up for it. But be warned; he’ll rub some people the wrong way, and if he’s not great and he keeps talking, he’ll tick off a lot of teammates.
CFN Projection: First Round
Third Round
Corey Peters, DT Kentucky 6-3, 300
Overall Pick 83 CFN Overall Ranking: 140
The Falcons are trying to step up on the interior taking Sean Weatherspoon in the first round and then grabbing Peters here. The idea will be to get to the quarterback and into the backfield on a regular basis, and Peters has the potential to do that.
A solid, underappreciated prospect with good lateral movement and excellent quickness, he’s not going to be an anchor and he needs to be far more creative with his moves. A very productive playmaker at a high level, he’s smart, experienced, and has better intangibles than talent. There’s a limit on what he can do and he doesn’t have NFL skills at any level, but he’ll be a hard-worker who could grow into a nice backup who sticks around for a long time.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round
Fourth Round
229. Joe Hawley, C UNLV 6-3, 297
Overall Pick 117 CFN Overall Ranking: 229
Is he going to be a center or a guard? Either way he’s a big reach for the Falcon line as he could’ve been had in the fifth round. Finding more protection for Matt Ryan isn’t a bad thing, and his strength should make him a strong run blocker to help add even more balance.
With nearly perfect size for a center, he’s built for the spot, has great functional strength, and he doesn’t make a lot of mental mistakes. With the want-to and the drive to always get better, he has grown into a weight room warrior and he could quickly become the leader of someone’s line. He’s not for everyone, though, with average mobility and he’ll have to get used to ditching the spread-blocking of UNLV. Moving to guard, in the right offense, won’t be a problem.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round
Fifth Round (St. Louis from Washington)
Dominique Franks, CB Oklahoma 5-11, 194
Overall Pick 135 CFN Overall Ranking: 123
Corner might not have been a glaring need, after beefing up the line with two guards and going with two players for the defensive front seven, the Falcons got a speedster. He has the look and the attitude of an NFL corner, but he needs help around him. He’ll likely be used as a nickel and dime defender.
While he has been timed around the 4.4s, the 4.52 at the Combine wasn’t impressive and he struggled through the short drills. However, he has a great all-around mix of skills and talents with good size and quickness, and he has the attitude to play the part. He can be moved around where needed and would be a better nickel or dime defender than a corner. He doesn’t play up to his talent and talks a better game than he plays, but he has just enough raw talent to be used in some way either as a returner or a key defender in the rotation.
CFN Projection: Fourth Round
Fifth Round
Kerry Meier, WR Kansas 6-2, 224
Overall Pick 165 CFN Overall Ranking: 245
What’s he going to do? He’s not a wide receiver, he’s not a tight end, and he’s not a backup quarterback. He’s slow and mot all that athletic, but he has phenomenal hands and could grow into an H-Back role. He’ll have to show something special right away to stick.
The problem is that he doesn’t have a position. A great pass catcher and a strong route runner, the former quarterback is big and tough, but he has no speed whatsoever and he isn’t enough of a blocker to be a tight end. He’s not an H-Back and he’s limited on what he can do, but he’s the type of player the coaches want on the roster. He’ll do whatever it takes to get by, and his potential as an emergency quarterback could keep him on a team.
CFN Projection: Sixth Round
Sixth Round (from Detroit)
Shann Schillinger, S Montana 6-0, 198
Overall Pick 171 CFN Overall Ranking: Free Agent
Able to play either free safety or strong, he’s a versatile late pick who needs to produce on special teams to stick. He’s not big, but he can move and he produced at the lower level.
CFN Projection: Free Agent