With the Falcons coming off a bye week, the team still owns the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. With four games left to play, Atlanta could easily solidify their top 10 selection or run the table and slot in considerably lower. My latest Mock Draft had the Falcons landing defensive tackle Bryan Bresee from Clemson with their first-round pick, so here are 10 other prospects that are possible targets at pick No. 10:
RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
Robinson doesn’t make much sense because the Falcons have an extremely deep running back room led by veteran Cordarrelle Patterson. But the regime’s two drafts have indicated the front office should have no problem making this pick, especially if he’s the best player available on the board. He’s undoubtedly a top 10 prospect, but the positional value could give pause to some organizations.
OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Skoronski’s biggest knock is his arm length, but Rashawn Slater’s case should nix any concerns for the Northwestern product. From all the draft reports, Skoronski should be an outstanding NFL guard and should be able to develop into a tackle. Most people felt Slater was a guard, but as we’ve seen, if a player’s feet and movement are good enough, playing tackle in the NFL with shorter arms is possible. And the Falcons might need a solution at right tackle if they don’t re-sign Kaleb McGary.
EDGE Myles Murphy, Clemson
Murphy will likely not be on the board if the Falcons are picking No. 10, but he’s still a possibility. At 6-5 and 275 pounds, Murphy is a physical freak and will be highly touted over those attributes alone.
CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
Gonzalaz is a long, athletic corner that has grown in popularity as the season progresses. The Falcons have a star in AJ Terrell and a reliable starter in Casey Hayward, but as we saw this year, the depth is shaky at best. Gonzalez could provide the defense with a future All-Pro tandem with Terrell.
CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
Ringo isn’t as physically impressive as Gonzalez or some other corners in this class, but he’s incredibly impressive technically and intelligently, able to play man or zone. The Georgia product will be a fan favorite because of his proximity to Atlanta, but he’s a logical draft pick for the same reasons as Gonzalez.
EDGE Jared Verse, FSU
Verse is someone I’ve covered before:
“Verse hasn’t yet declared for the draft, but I’m all for Atlanta landing a dominant pass rusher. It’s something the team hasn’t had since signing John Abraham. And that weakness continues to plague the Falcons today. The edge unit is young but isn’t exactly menacing. Arnold Ebiketie has flashed and is promising; the former second-round pick looks primed to be a solid contributor for years. Unfortunately, Lorenzo Carter hasn’t been much better, and DeAngelo Malone‘s playing time has only slowly been ramping up until recently. With Ebiketie battling an injury, it could be an excellent opportunity for Malone to earn valuable reps.
Verse isn’t someone I’m intimately familiar with, but if Brugler likes the fit, so should you. There are several prospects I have watched that would excite me if the Falcons selected them. Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness is a massive human, is position flexible, and could provide an internal pass rush next to Grady Jarrett. Nolan Smith is another menacing defender that would bolster the edge, but he is coming off a significant upper body injury. It’s fairly simple: draft good players.”
WR Quentin Johnson, TCU
Johnson is among the class’s best pass catching options, up there with Jordan Addison and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. However, what makes Johnson different is his physical presence and the Falcons’ history of drafting pass catchers. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he’s much closer to the physical stature of Kyle Pitts and Drake London than Addison or JSN.
DL/LB Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
Wilson is a massive human, standing 6-6 and weighing 276 pounds. He’s a physical specimen with the positional flexibility to move up and down the line of scrimmage. Wilson can very well play the 3-4 outside linebacker while kicking inside on obvious pass rushing downs.
OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Paris Johnson started at right guard last season and moved to left tackle in 2022. He’s as impressive as any offensive line prospect, and the Falcons could need a replacement for McGary.
OTÂ Olu Fashanu, Penn State
For the same reasons as Johnson and Skoronski, Fashanu makes sense. Despite very few career starts, the Penn State product is a fast riser up draft boards. He’s already so good at such a young age that teams will be confident they can develop him into a reliable starter.
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Photographer: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire
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