The Atlanta Falcons traded up to take Takkarist McKinley in the 2017 NFL Draft, the piece that makes the stars align on defense.
As much as the Atlanta Falcons want to, they cannot go back to Super Bowl LI and rewrite history. The team’s defense cannot take back the 31 unanswered points it gave up to the New England Patriots after leading for three quarters.
However, the Falcons can — and already are — reviving their defense after its collapse by addressing their biggest need and piecing together members of their defensive line. And slowly but surely, things are coming along quite nicely as the Xs are aligning to block the Os.
The first vital piece, and perhaps the most important one, for the Atlanta Falcons is outside linebacker Vic Beasley. After a rocky start to his NFL career the year before, Beasley had a breakout season, breathed life into head coach Dan Quinn’s defense and led the league in sacks in 2016 (15.5). However, the Falcons defensive line was lacking an elite player on the inside.
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That’s where former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who the Falcons signed during free agency, comes in. Poe, one of the NFL’s better interior defensive linemen, gives the Falcons run defense the boost needs after it allowed opposing teams to gain an average of 4.5 yards per carry and consequently finished ranked 18th overall in 2016.
His ability to stifle inside runs quickly is exactly the next piece the Falcons needed in their front seven, but similar to the center piece in a game of of tic, tac, toe, he also blocks the opponent.
And while Beasley and Poe put the Atlanta Falcons in a position to win, they were missing the third piece that could secure the win: an explosive edge rusher opposite of Vic Beasley. They found it when they drafted defensive end Takkarist McKinley out of UCLA in round one of the 2017 NFL Draft.
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The 6-2, 250-pound defensive end is absolutely relentless in his game and has ideal size, strength, impressive speed, versatility, and athleticism. At the Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. McKinley, who like Beasley had a breakout year in 2016, complements Vic Beasley and gives the Falcons the winning piece. Game over.