Atlanta Falcons: 5 Biggest needs to address in 2020 NFL Draft

4. Edge Rusher

During the free agency period this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons did address the need of adding an edge rusher with the signing of Dante Fowler Jr., who spent the 2019 campaign with the Los Angeles Rams.

In the upcoming NFL Draft this week, however, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Atlanta prioritize further adding to this position at some point in the draft with a young prospect.

After Vic Beasley‘s departure this offseason when he signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans, this position could be viewed as a spot that could be up for grabs. Fowler will likely end up claiming the No. 1 spot during the 2020 campaign, but adding another piece to go along with him seems likely for the Falcons.

With one of its mid-draft picks, Atlanta could look to snag an edge rusher to throw a No. 2 option into the mix this year. After all, getting to the quarterback has been a strong inconsistency for the Falcons for at least the last year or so.

As far as some names that could appear as possibilities to fill this need if they end up falling to the Falcons are players like Wisconsin’s Zack Baun, Boise State’s Curtis Weaver, Utah’s Bradlee Anea or maybe even Alabama’s Terrell Lewis. Those players might ultimately end up going earlier than the middle of the draft, but Atlanta should have its eye on them and others to add to its defense this season and beyond.

Although the Falcons have already done some work in addressing the edge rusher spot among their defensive unit, look for them to continue to shore up that spot on the ends of the defensive line via the draft this week.