It is just about time for the 2007 NFL Draft to begin. The draft boards are locked down and the clock is ticking before Commissioner Roger Goodell goes to the microphone to announce the first round selections. All of the components that clubs have evaluated players on are in place, so AF.com gets one final view from our panel of expert mock drafts on who the Falcons are targeting in the NFL Draft.
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 (April 20), it is noted after the current pick:
John Murphy, Yahoo! Sports: Penn State T Levi Brown. "This will be a tough choice for them. They also have a pair of second-round choices, which means they could take the best available defensive player on their board and then try to use a combo of their extra picks to deal back into the mid-to-late portion of the first round for Central Michigan offensive tackle Joe Staley." (no change from April 13 and 20, was LSU S LaRon Landry on April 6). In the second round, Murphy sees the Falcons selecting Texas S Michael Griffin at #39 and Georgia DE Charles Johnson at #44 overall.
Rob Rang, The Sports Xchange: LSU S LaRon Landry. "In switching picks with the Texas, the Falcons put themselves in position to nab Landry. Second-year CB Jimmy Williams might be able to make the transition to safety, but when arguably the safest defensive prospect in the entire draft is available -- and would fill a clear need -- he should be the pick. Should the rumored Atlanta-Detroit trade occur, with the Falcons moving up to get Johnson, the Lions would be in position to nab a host of defenders, as well as Brown." (no change from April 20, was Michigan DT Alan Branch on April 13, Penn State T Levi Brown on April 6 and Landry on March 26).
Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN: Penn State T Levi Brown. (no change from April 20, was Michigan CB Leon Hall on April 13 and Arkansas DE Jammal Anderson on April 6). In the second round, Kiper has the Falcons selecting South Carolina WR Sidney Rice at #39 and UNLV CB Eric Wright at #44 overall. In the third round, he has Atlanta selecting Louisville RB Michael Bush at #75 overall.
Todd McShay, Scouts, Inc. (ESPN Insider): LSU S LaRon Landry. "Landry is the best pick if Atlanta stays at No. 8. A four-year starter in the SEC, Landry should be ready to start immediately in the NFL and he would give the Falcons a significant upgrade in speed, athleticism and toughness at the safety position." (no change from April 13 and 20, was Louisville DT Amobi Okoye on April 6 and Landry on March 26). In the second round, McShay sees the Falcons selecting Texas G Justin Blalock at #39 and Georgia DE Charles Johnson at #44.
Pat Kirwan, NFL.com: LSU S LaRon Landry. "If the Falcons stay put, they will consider Levi Brown, but the player who can help the most right now and has the grade to be taken is LaRon Landry. He can match up with division opponent Reggie Bush and help stop the running game. Landry had 315 tackles to go along with 12 interceptions in his 48 collegiate starts." (was Michigan DT Alan Branch on April 20, Brown on April 13, Landry on April 6 and Okoye on March 26).
Vic Carucci, NFL.com: LSU S LaRon Landry. "New coach Bobby Petrino wants to add size and strength to his offensive line, so Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown is a possibility. But Landry would give them the very best player at a position of need and one of the top prospects in the draft." (no change from April 13 and 20).
Pete Prisco, CBSSportsline.com: Arkansas DE Jammal Anderson. "They get one of the best defensive players in the draft and he fills a need." (was Adams on April 20 and Anderson on April 13).
Clark Judge, CBSSportsline.com: Louisville DT Amobi Okoye. "Falcons need help everywhere; can start with former Petrino pupil." (no change from April 20, was Anderson on April 13).
Don Banks, CNNSI.com: Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson (predicts a trade between Detroit and the Falcons). "This is the spot we believe Johnson should and will go in, and all indications say the Lions are highly motivated to make the move. So too are the Falcons, whose owner, Arthur Blank, wants to create some positive buzz for a franchise that has lost its way a bit. The Bucs and Redskins might also bid for Detroit's No. 2 spot, but Atlanta will win this sweepstakes if it wants to." (was Landry on April 20, Brown on April 13 and Anderson on April 6).
Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com: LSU S LaRon Landry. "Already considered the top defensive back in the draft entering the combine, Landry blew scouts away with a jaw-dropping 4.32 in the 40. He followed that up with a spectacular performance at the LSU Pro Day last month. A four-year starter down in Baton Rouge, the Falcons would be grabbing a franchise player by selecting him here. Really, a can't miss prospect." (no change) In the second round, Schrager sees the Falcons selecting South Carolina WR Sidney Rice at #39 and Hawaii DE Ikaika Alama-Francis at #44 overall. In the third round, he has Atlanta selecting Georgia DE Quentin Moses at #75 overall.
Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News: Arkansas DE Jammal Anderson (was Michigan CB Leon Hall on April 20)
Scott Wright, NFLDraftCountdown.com: Arkansas DE Jammal Anderson. "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 really 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. If LaRon Landry is available he would most likely be the pick since they have been in search of a top safety for years now and Bobby Petrino also wants to get bigger up front and Levi Brown would certainly help accomplish that goal so he will garner strong consideration here as well. Then there's always the possibility of a trade up for Calvin Johnson and while they now have plenty of ammo courtesy of the Matt 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 see that happening. However, they could possibly move up to the #6 spot for a shot at Landry." (no change from April 20, was Landry on April 13 and Anderson on April 6). In the second round, Wright sees the Falcons selecting Texas G Justin Blalock at #39 and Fresno State CB Marcus McCauley at #44 overall. In the third round, he has Atlanta selecting Louisville RB Michael Bush at #75 overall.
Derek Harper, NFLDraftScout.com: Arkansas DE Jammal Anderson. "The Falcons figure to be burning up the phone lines, whether it's trying to move up to No. 2 for Johnson or to No. 6 if Peterson slides or they're convinced Landry won't make it to them. Barring one of those scenarios, the Falcons could look for a young pass rusher to fill a clear need after losing Patrick Kerney in free agency. Tea's are split on their views of Anderson, but there's no denying his raw athletic ability." (was Landry on April 13 and 20 and Peterson on April 6).
ProFootballTalk.com: Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson (predicts a trade between Detroit and the Falcons). (was Okoye on April 20, Landry on April 6 and 13 and was Peterson on March 26).
