00:00What are the five biggest positional needs for the Falcons after the draft
00:05as we await this second wave, quote-unquote, of free agency?
00:09I made a list, and then I scratched it out, and then I made another list.
00:14So here's my updated list.
00:17We'll go five through one, Oren.
00:19I want your reaction after each pick.
00:21All right, number five, biggest need for the Falcons after the draft
00:26before the second wave of free agency.
00:29Edge.
00:30We don't know exactly if and when James Pierce Jr. is coming back.
00:35They didn't really address it in the draft specifically.
00:38Or if he is back, how many games is he going to miss?
00:40How many games, and then what kind of shape is he going to be in from not playing?
00:44So right now you have Jalen Walker.
00:48You have Aziz Ojolari.
00:51You have Samson Abukam.
00:54You have, I mean, just a hodgepodge of dudes out there.
00:59Brandon Dorliss.
01:01So what are you going to get from that group?
01:03Again, they didn't necessarily address it directly.
01:07So I'm going to be interested to see what Jeff Ulbrich does this time around with the weapons that he
01:13has,
01:14and how does he deploy, you know, do we see the linebackers blitzing more?
01:18Does Divine Diablo blitz more this year?
01:20Does a guy like Christian Harris blitz more?
01:23It's going to be really interesting to see how until if and when James Pierce Jr. comes back, they fill
01:30the edge.
01:30So that to me is number five.
01:32Number four, center.
01:36I'm a little surprised they haven't addressed this directly head on yet.
01:40Center is going to be so important this year, whether it's Tua or Penix that gets the majority of the
01:46snaps.
01:47Nuzel was okay last year, but they definitely could have upgraded if they wanted to.
01:55I don't love their backup options right now.
01:58They made a signing in the offseason.
02:00Guy that's played some.
02:02Just a dude.
02:04But there's no real, like, challenger in place right now for Nuzel, which I was kind of hoping at the
02:11end of the day,
02:12there would be some competition because it's definitely a position that you could have upgraded.
02:17And the fact that they chose not to was fine, but I don't necessarily love Nuzel there as, like, your
02:25main and only option.
02:27But we'll see what happens with this second wave of free agency.
02:30So number five, edge.
02:32Number four is center.
02:36Number three.
02:39Quarterback.
02:41Number three is quarterback.
02:44You drafted somebody never heard of.
02:46You brought in Trevor Simeon.
02:50I'm still not convinced Penix or Tua is going to play a whole season.
02:55So I think you definitely could have done something a little bit more.
03:00Sexy, I guess you'll call it, at quarterback.
03:04But at the end of the day, they know what they're looking at.
03:08The most important thing is the most important thing, Oren, and that is this time next year, they need to
03:15know if it's Tua, if it's Penix, or if it's neither.
03:19So one of the two of those guys is going to get every opportunity in the world to get the
03:28majority of the reps for the season.
03:31So am I surprised that they didn't address the position?
03:34No.
03:37But could they?
03:39Yeah.
03:40I actually think they could.
03:41Because there is a world, it's not a world any of us want to think about, but there is a
03:46world where the Falcons need depth at quarterback beyond Penix and Tua.
03:51As unfortunate as that is to say, look at the back of their football cards.
03:56It's littered with injury.
03:58So No. 5, edge.
04:00No. 4, center.
04:01No. 3, quarterback.
04:04No. 2, this one's pretty obvious, offensive tackle.
04:10You take a flyer in the seventh round on a player from Ohio State that, quite frankly, just isn't rated
04:17very high.
04:18It just fits the mold of what's happened.
04:21He played, like, what, 90 snaps this year?
04:23Yeah.
04:23It's a very limited amount of snaps.
04:25If you thought Jack Nelson was a project last year, this guy is, he's bigger and more physical than Nelson,
04:30but not anywhere near ready to compete with Jawan Taylor at any point this season.
04:38So, I thought there was a chance that they'd go OT much earlier in the draft.
04:44They chose not to.
04:46And we'll see.
04:47Is Storm Norton going to be available and effective?
04:50He's back.
04:51He was at Penix's wedding, if I'm not mistaken.
04:54I think I saw pictures there.
04:55So, he's going to be your option for your swing tackle, but I'm just not entirely sure there's enough there.
05:02Um, again, with, even though you got the sixth pick in the draft, that's still not enough and still not
05:10a lot.
05:10So, I'm not, I'm not killing them for any of these because I thought they had a really good draft.
05:16So, these are just what I think are the biggest remaining holes going into the second portion, the latter part
05:24here, if you will, of the offseason.
05:26So, again, my Turtles top five biggest remaining needs for the Falcons.
05:31Number five, edge.
05:32You don't know what you're going to get with Pierce.
05:35Number four, center.
05:36Not in love with Noozle.
05:38Number three, quarterback.
05:39Is there a plan in a world where Penix and Tua, either through inefficiency or injury, what do you do?
05:48There's, I mean, Trevor Simeon's not really an option.
05:52The kid they got out of North Dakota State, he's not an option to play.
05:57There's really nobody on the roster.
05:59And then number one, the interior defensive one, of course.
06:04You get your sixth round, big boy, to pair with Dorliss in the middle, to pair with everybody else that's
06:11going to be in the rotation.
06:12But that was my number one need for the Falcons going into the draft.
06:17And, again, even though I think they absolutely knocked it out of the park, especially with their first three picks,
06:23in my opinion, they technically didn't address what I thought was their biggest need.
06:29So, of course, that's going to remain what I think is the biggest need going forward.
06:34And it's just a matter of, I think that the plan, I don't want to say I know, but it's
06:44pretty close to I know,
06:45that the plan is to do the NASCAR thing, to do the hockey shift line thing.
06:50To have a bunch of guys that are, like, large to XL-sized as opposed to XL to XXL-sized.
06:58Or, in the case of, like, a Vita Veo or a Derek Brown, a XXXL-sized.
07:02They're going to use a lot of large to XL guys to fill that hole, keep fresh legs, and apply
07:08speed and pressure to the quarterback through the interior.
07:11At least that's what I think is going to be the plan.
07:14Otherwise, you would have taken, I mean, Oren Lee Hunter was the next pick taken.
07:19So, if that's what you wanted, he was sitting right there for you.
07:23So, that's what I think.
07:25What do you think?
07:25404-726-0929.
07:28You can tweet me at CThomasRadio if you agree.
07:30If you disagree, you can also hit me up at 404-726-0929.
07:36All right, one hour left in the show.
07:39Jason Longshore, you guys realize United's on a three-match winning streak?
07:43Where did that come from?
07:45What's changed?
07:46Let's get the latest.
07:47We'll check in, yes, we'll check in on the national team as well.
07:52We got a busy final hour as we ride like the wind into the 9 o'clock hour here on
07:58Sports Radio 92.
07:59I'm the game.
Comments