Atlanta Falcons: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft to get back to playoffs
Round 1, Pick 14: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
The Atlanta Falcons are in an interesting position right now as it pertains to the defensive tackle position. They placed the franchise tag on Grady Jarrett this offseason and no doubt hope to retain his services by inking him to a long-term deal at some point. Moreover, they selected Deadrin Senat in the third round of the 2018 draft. Behind those guys, there are veterans that provide decent enough depth.
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Having said that, one of the most important adages that NFL teams should follow more often in the NFL Draft is this: Having a good player shouldn’t prohibit teams from taking a better player if their needs aren’t glaring and said prospect is a good value. That was the case as the Falcons came on the clock and Christian Wilkins was still on the board.
If you look throughout mock drafts at this point, you will no doubt see Ed Oliver being slotted to the Falcons quite a bit. However, the Houston star was off the board in this simulation, but Wilkins is still quite the consolation prize with the 14th overall pick.
Many people will look at Wilkins and talk about him not jumping off the tape like Oliver does, and he’s certainly not the same athlete. However, Wilkins is a natural-born defensive leader that has very few deficiencies in his game. It’s hard not to look at his play and his success with Clemson and not see a player that can come in and play meaningful snaps for the Falcons defense on Day 1.