The reason so many NFL analysts are anticipating that the Falcons will choose a quarterback is because the top of the 2021 draft is filled with QB prospects. Matt Ryan’s age is not a big factor, as we have seen repeatedly that pocket passers last a long time in this league. In addition, Ryan is still quite effective at 35.
The new general manager, Terry Fontenot, said he believed in the selection of the best player available and that he wants to raise all positions. If BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields is on the board in choice # 4, you can argue that both are the best player available.
Pro Football Focus launched a simulated two-round draft in which Atlanta takes it a step further, being traded for third place to ensure the team gets Fields.
“REPLACEMENT! Miami gives Atlanta the third overall choice in exchange for the fourth overall choice, a third round of 2021, a fourth round of 2021 and a third round of 2022 ”.
But why exactly would the Falcons be so concerned with finding a quarterback that they probably wouldn’t even play this season? Here’s Anthony Treash of the PFF on his logic for trade.
“Atlanta should be seriously considering entering the quarterback market now that Matt Ryan is nearing the end of his career, and protecting Fields would dramatically decrease the chances of Falcons entering the quarterback purgatory. In his two years starting for the Buckeyes, Fields obtained PFF scores of 91.5 and 93.5, both ranked in the top five across FBS.
Fields is extremely accurate, takes good care of the football and has unrivaled wheels for the position. He may not come right away and light up the league like a rookie if Atlanta changes his mind and decides to switch Matt Ryan, but the talent is there for him to be a franchise quarterback. ”
In the second round of the simulation, the Falcons win the cornerback of Washington Elijah Molden with choice 35 of the general. Despite having played the penny for most of his college career, Treash thinks Molden’s game will translate well into a happy NFL.
“Molden maintained an exclusive relationship with the slot machine during his university career in Washington and is unlikely to play at any other level. That said, an NFL team will receive an absolute theft for three reasons: 1) Slot defenders are the most underrated players in football, (2) he was one of the best slot defenders we’ve seen in the era of PFF College and (3) it has all the characteristics to make us believe that it will have a similar success in the NFL. “
Falcons definitely have a need as a cornerback and with Darqueze Dennard hitting the free agency, Molden would make sense.