PFF weighs in on the state of the Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are set ahead of the NFL Draft. There might be another minor move here or there, but Terry Fontenot’s focus is on the 8th overall pick right now.

Going into the draft, the club still has some glaring roster needs. The cornerback and edge units need starting-caliber players. Who knows? Maybe, Raheem Morris and Jimmy Lake are confident they’ll find guys in the draft or are higher on the internal candidates than I am.

The state of the Atlanta Falcons depends on the expectations you have for the 2024 campaign. Arthur Blank is surely expecting a postseason berth at a minimum, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team’s owner is expecting even more.

A one-and-done playoff appearance probably wouldn’t sit well with the big man, but let’s get an outside perspective. Pro Football Focus’s state of the franchise is a bit more optimistic than me.

• Remaining Starter Needs: EDGE
• Remaining Depth Needs: OL, QB, CB

Kirk Cousins gives the Falcons their best quarterback since Matt Ryan left town, but the veteran’s arrival doesn’t completely remove the need to consider the quarterback position. It does mean that Atlanta doesn’t need to prioritize a quarterback in Round 1.

The Falcons are in prime position to be the first team to select a defensive player in the draft, with the first seven picks looking likely to be on the offensive side of the ball. Edge defender is their biggest need, with Alabama’s Dallas Turner, who recorded a 19.6% pass-rush win rate last year, the favorite to be their selection.

I would put cornerback with edge as a remaining starter need, but maybe I’m not seeing what the Falcons coaching staff and PFF are seeing in Mike Hughes, Dee Alford, Clark Phillips, Kevin King, and Antonio Hamilton.

Hope isn’t a strategy, and the Falcons seem to be doing a lot of that this offseason. Hoping the draft falls a certain way to fill a significant need. Hoping players develop internally.

If it was my butt on the line, I would be dotting every I and crossing every T.