ATLANTA — Update: With the No. 8 pick, the Atlanta Falcons selected WR Drake London of USC.
A release from the Falcons stated London recorded 160 receptions for 2,153 yards (13.5 avg.) and 15 touchdowns in 27 games (23 starts) during his first three seasons at USC. Despite missing the final four games of the 2021 season, London had 88 receptions for 1,084 yards (12.3 avg.) and seven touchdowns in eight games. He also earned All-America and all-conference honors and was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, the Falcons said.
The 23-year-old finished with at least 100 receiving yards in nine games during his college career, including five-consecutive games in 2021. He also was the first Trojan to reach 100 receiving yards in five straight games since Marquise Lee in 2012.
Additionally, despite USC's history of wide receivers, London became the first player to record at least 15 receptions in multiple games in program history.
Original story:
The Atlanta Falcons enter the NFL Draft on Thursday night with really only one certainty - they need a lot, and their pick at No. 8 is just the start of a rebuilding effort as the team moves on from the Matt Ryan era.
It's pretty universally understood that the team's biggest need among many is in the pass rush, after they sacked opposing quarterbacks just 18 times last year. That was the worst figure in the league, by a lot - fewer even than a couple individual players.
However, it's an open question of whether one of the Draft's top defensive ends will actually be available for the Falcons at the eighth pick - at that point, the general consensus is that a number of options open up, most frequently with speculation the team could target one of the Draft's top wide receivers.
There's also the possibility Atlanta could trade out of No. 8 in an attempt to move down in the first round and collect more picks - though that possibility seems faint, given that there doesn't appear to be a lot of interest from teams outside the top-10 for moving up.
Before you sit down and wait for the Falcons' turn to come up tonight, here's a look at how things stand:
Defensive end
As mentioned earlier, a pass rusher is Atlanta's biggest need. We pretty much know that UGA's Travon Walker will potentially be off the board at No. 1, and it's pretty widely assumed that Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson won't be around for Atlanta at No. 8 either.
That leaves, potentially, Jermaine Johnson II of Florida State and Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon. Both could potentially go before the Falcons pick - TEGNA's Locked On Podcast Network envisions just that scenario in their mock draft, with Walker going No. 1, Hutchinson No. 2, Thibodeaux to the New York Jets at No. 4 and Johnson to the New York Giants at No. 7.
But if that doesn't happen, several experts have the Falcons taking Johnson or Thibodeaux. Scott Blair at the Falcons official website sends Johnson their way, while ESPN's Todd McShay predicts they'll take Thibodeaux.
Wide receiver
With the Julio Jones era in the rearview mirror, Calvin Ridley suspended the whole season and even Russell Gage gone to Tampa Bay, receiver is a big need for Atlanta. At No. 8, they could be in position to take one of the best in the draft.
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has them taking Alabama star Jameson Williams - not exactly a quick fix, as he tore his ACL in the national title game against UGA, but nonetheless an explosive talent. ESPN's Mel Kiper, meanwhile, has Atlanta going with Ohio State's Garrett Wilson, considered an "explosive, versatile, inside and outside WR" by the Locked On guys.
Those two tend to be the top two receivers in most mock drafts, though it's certainly within the realm of possibility the Falcons are thinking receiver but simply prefer someone like USC's Drake London or Ohio State's Chris Olave, also considered among the top WR's in this class.
Anything else?
The Falcons, as noted, need just about everything - so you really never know.
An obvious need for the future is at quarterback, though there hasn't been much to indicate the team is all that hot on Liberty's Malik Willis, the top QB in the class, or any other signal-caller with the eighth pick.
If they do take a QB, it seems likelier they'd take a speculative chance on one later in the Draft.
There are several top-rated offensive tackles who could all be gone by the time the Falcons pick, but if one among Alabama's Evan Neal, Mississippi State's Charles Cross or North Carolina State's Ikem Ekwonu falls to No. 8, Atlanta could be tempted.
The Locked On mock draft has the Falcons going for NC State's Ekwonu. Here's what podcaster Aaron Freeman had to say:
"Falcons need to get better in the trenches. Ekwonu personifies the identity the team wants to establish and has the versatility to be a plug and play starter at multiple positions."
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