ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft in April. That means they have endless opportunities. They have a ton of different ways that their offseason could go because of the high pick. But there's even more opportunity in this year's free agency class.
Fans may not want to hear this, especially after failed moves, deals and picks under the previous regime. But one way new General Manager Terry Fontenot may want to get better this year is by adding a pass rusher.
“I think Carl Lawson would be a good fit for this defense,” said Dave Choate of the Falcoholic on Locked On Falcons. “You are going to have to spend some money to get some of these pieces in place and then add to it in the draft.
The Atlanta Falcons have had trouble with consistency in that area. Last season, they signed Dante Fowler Jr. to a three-year, $48 million deal. It's safe to say he underperformed with three sacks in 2020 compared to 11.5 the year prior.
“You add a guy, hope for a bounce-back year from Dante Fowler Jr., add to it in the draft, you have Grady Jarret already on that defensive line and you hope that gives you the boost you need in the short term,” Choate said.
Obviously, there's a plethora of priorities for the Falcons if they want to bounce back quickly.
Here's a rundown of some of the biggest ones on Choate's radar on the Locked On Falcons Podcast:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1147245791… Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lpvHIimL8KfE3COm7pCkk… Megaphone: https://megaphone.link/LKN3422575797