21. Atlanta Falcons - Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky
The Atlanta Falcons have a soft defense if you ask me. The pass rush has been non-existent this season, and overall, the unit just isn’t that good. It’s odd, as the Falcons do have a ton of talent at all three phases on that side of the ball. But the offense is having to pick up the pace a bit. That’s put more on the shoulders of veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who is in his age-36 season.
Cousins is still balling, but it’s not a formula for success if you’re asking Kirk Cousins to carry the team. The Falcons must make a huge push next offseason to repair their limp defense, and Deone Walker from Kentucky is a great place to start.
For all the criticism that the Falcons got for taking Michael Penix Jr, it actually makes a ton of sense when you think about it, but by doing that, they weren’t able to address the DL at the top of that NFL Draft. They have to do it this year if they want to be a complete team.
How about the best running back in the country? Ashton Jeanty wears the orange and blue and plays for the Broncos. Well, how about doing the exact same thing in the NFL? The Denver Broncos do not have a bell-cow RB on the roster, as fourth-year RB Javonte Williams has not developed into that player, and being that the Broncos are probably going to go all-in around Bo Nix in 2025, them taking someone like Ashton Jeanty makes a ton of sense.
He’s someone who can carry the ball 20, 25 times a game if need be. Fielding an elite rushing attack could help finish off the development and help the Broncos take that next step in 2025.
22. Denver Broncos - Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Ashton Jeanty wears orange and blue and plays for the Broncos. Well, how about doing the same thing at the NFL level? Jeanty is clearly the best RB in the country and could end up winning the Heisman Trophy in the 2024 college football season. He is absolutely a bell-cow running back and would be able to takeover that role for the Denver Broncos.
Fourth-year running back Javonte Williams just isn’t consistently getting it done, so it would not shock me to see the Broncos invest heavily into the RB spot this coming offseason. Both Sean Payton and George Paton have a history of investing a lot into the backfield, and QB Bo Nix simply needs more help.
He’s got a below-average group of playmakers on offense at his disposal, and it would not surprise me to see Denver make a huge push this coming offseason to add some talented playmakers for Nix in what could be a very strong year two for him and the Broncos, who are currently 5-3 and in the playoffs right now.