The Falcons haven’t had a dominant pass rusher, a closer of sorts since John Abraham.
Arnold Ebiketie was drafted in the second round of the 2022 cycle and had a lackluster rookie campaign but has come on strong recently; in fact, he totaled four sacks in his first 24 games and has that many in the last five weeks.
It’s possible he develops into that closer of a pass rusher, but the Falcons shouldn’t stop adding to that facet of the team, which is what Ryan Wilson of CBS has Atlanta doing in his most recent mock draft, landing Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau.
You will not find a player with a higher motor, and when you couple that with Tuimoloau’s twitch, speed and power, he’s going to be a problem at the next level for NFL offensive tackles.
Standing 6-foot-4, he has long arms and good athleticism while fitting the mold of an EDGE defender in Ryan Nielsen’s system. Though his production doesn’t pop off the page, just 11 sacks through three seasons, his skill set should interest the Falcons.
However, I don’t understand Wilson’s assessment of the Buckeyes product. Though he is an excellent athlete with tons of raw power, Tuimoloau isn’t going to win the corner with pure speed.
I wouldn’t be against this regime taking its first defender in the first round. There are a ton of intriguing tackles and pass catchers in this upcoming class, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Falcons bolster a strength of this roster by acquiring a running mate for Drake London and Kyle Pitts or a successor for Jake Matthews or Kaleb McGary.
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