2018 NFL Draft: Atlanta Falcons 7-round mock draft in September
By Derek Snyder
Round 6: Tray Matthews, S, Auburn
The Falcons will not have a fifth-round pick this year since they traded that spot to the Denver Broncos before the 2017 regular season began. That said, there are still more than enough guys in the back-half of this 2018 NFL Draft that could be come contributors to this Atlanta football team, which is why defensive back Tray Matthews would be another solid choice in the latter rounds.
More from Atlanta Falcons
- 2023 NFL Season: NFC South shaping up to be an exciting division
- 5 rookies to target for your Fantasy Football drafts In 2023
- 3 reasons why the Falcons can make NFC Championship Game
- Atlanta Falcons rookie pass rusher flashing early in training camp
- Ryan Tannehill to the Falcons feels inevitable at this point
Matthews led the Tigers defense in tackles a season ago, coming up with 76 total on the year and starting every game on a solid defense. While he may not be an elite ballhawk, the safety did show the ability to take advantage of the moment last year against Georgia when he registered an interception and eight tackles.
What great opportunity this would be for a Georgia-native, who intially was a Georgia Bulldog, until he transferred to Auburn University in 2014. He possesses decent size at 6-1 and 209 pounds, but would come into some tough competition at strong safety with Kemal Ishmael.
That said, Matthews would definitely be a border-line roster player for Atlanta, but that’s expected at this point in draft. Atlanta only carries one strong safety behind Keanu Neal; however, having Matthews on the practice squad until he’s ready wouldn’t be too bad of an option whatsoever.