Lately there’s been a lot of guys that have just disappeared. For example Ronald Jones just vanished no news or talk about him.

Who’s your player that vanished?

I've thought about this quite a lot. Players who had otherwise mediocre careers just going wild for one game.

For example, a classic example is Vernon Perry and the Oilers vs. the Chargers in the 1979 AFC Divisional Round. Perry nabbed 4 picks (the ONLY 4 interception game in NFL playoff history), and blocked a field goal, en route to beating the Fouts-led Chargers 17-14.

Perry would only start 3 and a half seasons. His career aside from this game is unremarkable, but, for this one game, he was a stud.

I'm curious as what other examples stand out the most to you all, recent or not.

Not a player picked at 9 who became a bust but was considered a decent pick back then but a pick that at the moment you went "wtf? Regardless whether that played turned out good or not, I'm talking about reaches in the moment it happened?

I used to listen to almost every episode of around the NFL. Recently their takes on the Titans have been so ridiculous that I can’t even listen just for entertainment sakes. I skipped to the Titans segment of their recent Around the AFC episode and Dan suggested that their best move is to take a qb? All of the coaching and personnel changes have been a downgrade? From what? 6-11 with a grumpy HC and a playbook from 1980? I don’t get it.

Anyone have any suggestions for NFL podcasts that I can listen to until ATN stops degrading my team next season?

Anyone else notice that whenever there are discussion posts in where all team fans chime in, we’re consistently VERY far down in the list of comments, if we’re even there at all.

I feel like we have one of the largest subreddit followings so it’s always baffled me and kinda bums me out when I don’t see answers from the Rams fans there.

Not meant to be an aggressive post, just wondering if I’m alone in this feeling.

Closing out week two of our positional draft rankings, we talked about the wide receivers on Wednesday, so now it’s time to discuss the guys who are going to cover them in the pros. Personally, I didn’t make the distinction between inside and outside corners, but I did always mention which role and scheme each player would be able to fit (best) into – whether that’s boundary, field-side corner, nickelback or if I believe they can fill multiple spots.

These last couple of weeks have been pretty stressful for me based on the sheer volume of names I had to go through for wide receivers and corners. In this class particularly, I was a good 30 players in and still found guys with draftable grades. There may not quite be a blue-chip prospect among this group, such as Devon Witherspoon or Derek Stingley Jr./Sauce Gardner in recent years, but I think five guys should go in the first round and since I have another tie at number ten, the rest of my top 11 are all worthy of going in the second.

Let’s get into this deep crop:

1. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo

6’0”, 200 pounds; JR

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A three-star recruit in 2020, Mitchell played in six games as a backup true freshman. He started all 27 contests over the following two years, intercepting five passes and setting the Rockets’ single-season record with 20 pass breakups in 2022, after putting up eight PBUs the prior year. This past season, he did have 18 PBUs but only one pick, yet was recognized as second-team All-American, along with repeating as first-team All-MAC.

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Man-coverage:

+ Keeps his shoulders square for a large portion of man-coverage reps and doesn’t get antsy as receivers try to fool him off the line

+ Showcases advanced understanding for which routes to expect based on formation and splits, slightly altering his technique accordingly

+ Does a great job of reading the hips of the guy across from him and IDing any change in tempo, etc. with the light feet to react accordingly

+ Ran a 4.33 in the 40 and pumped out a corner-best 20 reps on the bench press at the combine, to back up his ability to hang with speedsters down the field as well as the commitment to the weight room

+ Showcases impressive closing burst if receivers do have a step on him, to still affect the catch-point (or push guys out of bounds for incompletions on out routes)

+ Because Mitchell had so much confidence in his preparation to cut off breaks, when he did gamble wrongly, he smoothly is able to utilize speed-turns over the opposite shoulder and not get lost

+ Allowed a passer rating of just 34.8 and 51.1 when targeted these past two seasons respectively, limiting quarterbacks to 54-of-132 (40.9%) for 560 yards and three touchdowns compared to six picks

+ Put together one of the cleanest Senior Bowl weeks I’ve ever seen from a corner, where he got a chance to disrupt receivers off the line and even when his technique wasn’t great, he was able to stick to the hip-pocket of receivers throughout reps, with tremendous de- and re-acceleration

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Zone-coverage:

+ Lining up on the wide side of the field, Quinyon needed to be a smart player for the Rockets, deciphering route patterns with a lot of zone-coverage

+ Maintains discipline with his landmarks, not allowing bat routes to put him in bad positions

+ Looks very comfortable capping over routes and having his eyes inside to fall off and make plays on nearby targets

+ Finds a great balance between keying the quarterback’s drop and the receiver decelerating, to click-and-close on routes

+ Decodes stacks and bunches extremely well and is able to rapidly close the gap to the target he’s ultimately responsible for matching

+ Excels at wrapping around and swiping at the ball, even when it’s placed to the opposite side of where he’s closing from, where his length is certainly helpful

+ Understands really well when he’s in control of routes and then displays premiere ball-skills as he attacks the ball in the air

+ Put up the best overall PFF grade (92.5) and coverage grade (92.7) among FBS cornerbacks in 2022 – then finished behind only UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu and Texas D-tackle T’Vondre Sweat with his 91.5 overall PFF grade last season

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Run defense & tackling:

+ Packs a pretty good punch to greet blocking receivers with and can bench-press them off in order to stay ready to come off as the ball approaches

+ Does not ever seem to give up his contain responsibilities

+ Erases that space to furthest outside blocker in condensed formations on run plays

+ Displays great range to help push ball-carriers out of bounds at the opposite sideline on explosive plays away from him

+ Very patient with coming to balance and staying ready to set tackles on longer-developing plays or where he’s playing deep and works upfield – Only missed three of 48 attempts last season (6.3%)

+ Wasn’t used that way a whole lot, but when Toledo did blitz him off the corner, his ability to curve his path and the speed to chase down plays from behind is a plus

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Weaknesses:

- While you like the patience in off-man or match coverage, Mitchell tends to be late to flip and sees receivers get a step on him a few times, while rounding off at the break-point rather than being abrupt with his change of direction

- Only spent 20 snaps in press-coverages last season and his strike timing can be a little off due to that limited experience

- Could do a better job of attaching to targets as the pattern has developed and there’s no imminent threat coming his zone, rather than thinking he still has help inside

- Doesn’t attack downhill with a whole lot of attitude in the run/screen game

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In a corner class with a lot of names from big schools known for their talents at the position, this kid out of Toledo reigns supreme. Due to playing a lot of off-zone coverage as the field-side corner for his team, Mitchell primarily got to show out his high football IQ to decipher patterns and make plays on the ball, but when he was asked to cover some of the top receivers in the country at the Senior Bowl, his man-to-man skills could really shine. In the pros, he won’t be able to almost line up between the number two and three in trips sets and sit on routes as much, because he’ll face quarterbacks who will punish him for that, and his future DB coach will have to actually teach him different techniques to challenge receivers in press-coverage, but nothing he’s shown us to this point would make me believe he won’t be able to take on that coaching or excel in more isolated situations. In fact, he’s got plus size, put up explosive testing numbers as part of a meteoric rise during this nearly flawless pre-draft process and he’s highly competitive. At this point, I believe you can still mold him for pretty much any scheme and he has perennial Pro Bowl potential.

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2. Nate Wiggins, Clemson

6’1”, 175 pounds; JR

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A top-100 overall recruit in 2021, Wiggins recorded three tackles and pass break-ups each across 130 snaps as a true freshman. In year two, he started 11 of 13 games (767 total snaps), recording a team-high 12 PBUs, an interception and a blocked field goal, being named an honorable mention All-ACC selection. This past season he ascended to first-team all-conference, thanks to a couple of picks (including one taken back to the house), six PBUs and a two forced fumbles.

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Man-coverage:

+ Such a loose athlete, being able to open up out of the initial pedal without issues and then the raw speed to hang with guys down the field, as they hit top-gear

+ If asked to press, Wiggins’ ability to extend his arms and throw off receivers without surrendering a solid base stands out, playing above his weight class when he locks up some big wideouts

+ Consistently impedes the progress of receivers trying to release inside of him in man-/match-coverages

+ The way he can stop his momentum on the spot and contest passes on curl routes really stands out

+ Regularly was deployed in off-coverage and his ability to plant-and-redirect forward could really shine – makes him a threat to take speed outs back to the house, which nearly got a pick-six like that in the N.C. State, but just misjudged the ball

+ Combines that with elite recovery burst when he bites on double-moves

+ Was tremendous in Clemson’s matchup against Florida State’s monster WR duo of Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, not allowing a single catch on five targets and breaking up one of those; And while did allow one deep catch to UNC’s Tez Walker early on, he otherwise completely shut that guy down when those two met, with several highly impressive one-on-one reps, including a game-sealing picks, as he read and undercut a hitch on the outside

+ Only allowed 18 completions across 41 targets last season worth 176 yards and one touchdowns compared to two interceptions

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Zone-coverage:

+ Displays good feel for spacing in zone-coverage and giving just enough space, where he can still eliminate that distance to the designated target

+ His ability to be in that side or three-quarter turn in deep zone responsibility, yet be right there as a receiver pushes at him before breaking out to the sideline is very impressive

+ There are snaps where he’s playing a good ten yards off, yet arrives there to light up receivers just as they catch a quick in-breaker in front of him

+ Not somebody you can typically out-leverage with routes into the flats, as you spot somebody up inside, cutting them down low

+ Has the eyes and range to fall off and make plays on balls thrown in his vicinity as a flat defender

+ Showcases high IQ for the position for what to expect with receivers tilting or leaning before committing to the break, not losing phase as guys run post-corners against cover-three/-four for example

+ Can really climb the ladder and make it a fight for the ball up there in 50-50 situations

+ Is able to sustain contact and position himself beneficially as the ball is in the air, because he shows the refs that he’s tracking it himself

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Run defense & tackling:

+ Because he’s not afraid of receivers blowing by him, you’ll frequently see Wiggins be over the top of guys with a hand onto them and then drive up for completions underneath him

+ On runs and screens out to the perimeter his way, Wiggins can leave receivers looking around for him with how rapidly he shoots past them for early stops

+ His 4.28 speed to run down plays at the opposite sideline and push guys out of bounds popped up on a few occasions

+ Had an insane hustle play in the North Carolina game, where RB Omarion Hampton was off to the races, yet as he was about to break the plane, Wiggins knocked the ball out and it went out of bounds in the end-zone to turn a touchdown into a touchback

+ Along with his two pick-sixes, he added a blocked field goal in the 2022/23 ACC Championship game vs. UNC

+ Cut down his penalties from five in 2022 to just one last year

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Weaknesses:

- Still has plenty of room upwards when it comes to approaching the ball in the air, taking advantage of locating and making plays on it rather than being content with face-guarding receivers

- Can get a little uber-aggressive with undercutting routes, relying on his make-up burst to not get burnt by double-moves, but more so even if he slightly midjudges the ball and now has no contact with the receiver to initiate the tackle

- Needs to add some weight/bulk to his frame and play stronger altogether – missed ten of 65 attempted tackles in two years as a starter (15.4% miss rate)

- Not overly interested in redirecting downhill against runs out in his direction, after running a couple of steps with the receiver, as well as waiting behind traffic on screens

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Wiggins has been one of the more divisive names in this corner class. Typically when you have these slender guys with track speed, they get pushed up the board unjustifiably high in my opinion. However, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a guy line up on the outside and more so glide backwards than always being in a clean back-pedal and either drive up to contest the catch-point or flip and run with guys coming full speed at him in such effortless manner. With his explosiveness to click-and-close on routes in front of him, Wiggins is a perfect fit for a quarters-based system or as part of a defense that heats up quarterbacks and leaves their guys in cover-zero, trusting them to beat receivers to the spot on the initial break, such as what defensive play-callers like Brian Flores have popularized in recent years. Wiggins absolutely has to add 5-10 pounds of muscle and build up a more consistent appetite for the run game, along with continuing to work on finding the ball in the air (which he already showed improvement at last season). If he can do that, he has an All-Pro level ceiling.

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3. Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

6’1”, 195 pounds; JR

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The number one cornerback recruit in the nation in 2021, McKinstry saw some limited time his freshman season, but took over as a fixture in the lineup from year two on and immediately excelled, with one interception and 16 pass break-ups, making him a first-team All-SEC selection. His ball-production dropped off significantly this past season (no INTs, seven PBUs), but he was still recognized as first-team all-conference and All-American.

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Man-coverage:

+ Born to play the cornerback position, with how natural he is at anticipating routes and the comfort in sticking to receivers

+ Incredibly patient in soft-press alignment, to force the guy across from him to commit to the release and has his arms ready to establish contact as soon as they do, with pretty loose hips at that height to open without a delay

+ Utilizes one-handed stabs to throw off receivers at the line routinely when playing closer up

+ And then he expertly places the outside hand onto the shoulder-pad of guys as they try to take off down the sideline, in order to minimize space and feel a potential break coming

+ Is able to impede receivers as they try to release inside and stick with them like glue as they break towards the middle of the field

+ You see McKinstry play stack-technique and track the ball the whole way when offenses test him with goal-line fades by the tight-end in isolated situations

+ Highly active with his hands to counter receivers at the break-point and not allow them to swipe him by

+ Had a 81.2 PFF coverage grade and a 57.9 passer rating allowed as just a true sophomore in 2022, before earning the fourth-highest overall grade (88.8) among all corners in the 2024 draft last season, when he was tested just half as many times (39 instead of 80 targets)

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Zone-coverage:

+ Understands how to use leverage to his advantage in quarters and having his eyes on the quarterback through the eligibles to his side

+ Does a nice job of playing top-shoulder and not allow guys to detach down the post, even if the safety to his side has to step down for some crosser in front of him

+ Showcases full confidence in being opened to the middle of the field in zone, then flipping and running with go routes by the wideout he’s lined up against

+ McKinstry’s ability to be in a three-quarter turn, then stick the front-foot in the ground and fluidly flip back down against deep curls is highly impressive for his pretty high-hipped build

+ Has a great feel for the timing of concepts and when routes are off the table, staying ready to shut down completions in front of quickly on levels-based concepts, such as “flood”

+ Displays some highly impressive awareness for being opened inside as a zone-defender with a receiver stemming that way and fall off to make plays on the ball as the offense tries to sneak somebody up the sideline (RB wheel)

+ Rapidly races up into the flats and lays the wood on guys after catching the ball

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Run defense & tackling:

+ Far from just a pure cover-corner – this guy will come up and hit people

+ In the screen game, he’ll rapidly shoot through the crease between receivers and flip the intended target behind the line of scrimmage at times

+ Pro-active condensed the space towards the furthest outside blocker and you see him, just ignore the outside receiver in favor of lowering a shoulder into a bigger body trying to clear space out to the corner

+ Arrives low and lifts up through contact to even out size advantages against running backs and tight-ends as a tackler

+ When he does allow a completion, he regularly slings his guy to the turf for no additional yardage

+ Only missed nine of 102 tackles attempted in his career (8.8% miss rate)

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Weaknesses:

- Gets unnecessarily grabby during the stem of intermediate routes at this point

- His height can become an issue against receivers attacking his chest and creating separation by pushing off against him

- Both Texas receivers (A.D. Mitchell and Xavier Worthy) gave Kool-Aid trouble with their speed and how well he can hang with guys like that down the field remains a question without an official 40 time

- When offenses are in condensed formations, Kool-Aid had a tendency of getting lured inside and surrender contain

- Muffed an insane five punts on just 35 such return attempts (even if he led the SEC in punt return yardage in 2022)

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If you’re looking to show someone how to play press-man coverage, Kool-Aid has a lot of teach-tape to turn on. He is so fundamentally sound with staying balanced, reading the hips of receivers, not lunging when he puts his hands on people and being clean in his transitions, especially when you consider his height. His positioning, spatial awareness and ability to read pattern also shows up positively in zone duty and he’s not shy of coming downhill and trying to get bigger ball-carriers on the ground. There are corners in this class who are twitchier, are more physical and have better top-end speed, but I feel like I sort of learned my lesson from another Alabama corner, who I didn’t quite have inside my top-ten a couple of years ago in Broncos All-Pro Patrick Surtain II. Now, Kool-Aid presents a little more of a slender build and doesn't dictate terms to receivers the way we saw with Surtain, but even though we unfortunately won’t get any testing numbers on the former, just being able to stick to dudes is a skill I value over raw athleticism.

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4. Terrion Arnold, Alabama

6’0”, 180 pounds; RS SO

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One of those five-star recruits for Alabama who ended up redshirting for Alabama in 2021 because of all the talent in the secondary, Arnold took advantage of his actual debut season, as he started seven of 11 games, intercepting one pass and breaking up another eight, along with recovering a fumble. Last year he posted career-highs in tackles (63), TFLs (6.5), interceptions (five) and PBUs (12). He was recognized a first-team All-American for his efforts.

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Man-coverage:

+ Played a lot of soft press-man at Bama, where he stayed low and balanced whilst having his eyes locked on the receiver’s hips

+ Yet when he does have deep help, he’ll go for aggressive two-handed jams that can completely throw off opponents out of their stance

+ Springy off the line of scrimmage, to not get lost against speed releases, as well as the break-point

+ Brings the long speed to carry guys pushing vertically, even off motion or out of stacks, where they have a certain advantage – the 4.51 he ran at the combine doesn’t really show up on tape

+ Had an unbelievable rep in man-coverage vs. Texas speedster Xavier Worthy, who was running past seemingly everybody in the 2022 matchup, sticking to him stride-for-stride and high-pointing the ball for a near-interception on a “cross-country route”

+ Capable of stopping on a dime and sticking in the hip-pocket of guys on routes breaking away from his leverage (in-breakers from condensed splits in particular), in part due to how well he recognizes any deceleration during the stem

+ Has the oily hips to flip around after tilting with the initial stem and not losing time as the route breaks the opposite way

+ Even if receivers are able to create separation at the break-point by threatening vertically initially, he’ll close ground in a hurry and still contest the catch a lot of times

+ Spent 205 snaps in the slot last season, following guys there for matchups such as LSU’s Malik Nabers

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Zone-coverage:

+ Does a nice job of capping over routes and gaining ground as receivers push at him, but keeping his weight on the ball of his feet

+ Maintains outside leverage in deep zone responsibility whilst closing space inside as the furthest-most receiver stems that way or releases inside out of stacks

+ His ability to plant-and drive on routes in the flats and arrive there before the target can turn upfield really pops

+ Shows the wheels to carry speedsters to the post safety in cover-three

+ On deep curls and digs, where the quarterback’s trying to stop receivers against quarters, you see Arnold climb over the back of the intended target and wrestles balls out in aggressive e fashion

+ Has experience jumping in at the STAR spot for Bama, where he lined up in the slot a bunch

+ Even when he has to open with vertical stems, Arnold regularly peaks back at the quarterback and rapidly explodes downhill to shut down underneath completions in a hurry

+ Was right there with his Bama running back Kool-Aid McKinstry in the top-five in terms overall PFF grade among corners in this draft (88.4), holding opposing quarterbacks to a 51.9% completion rate on 5.6 yards per target and two touchdowns vs. five picks

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Run defense & tackling:

+ Shows great lateral agility and uses his hands to sort of swipe blockers coming at him from a distance

+ You regularly see him completely avoid tight-ends coming across the formation or pulling out to the corner on longer-developing plays (sweeps, reverses, etc.)

+ Will run through the reach of blockers in the screen game if they’re not firm with establishing contact and shut those plays down in a hurry

+ Squares up bigger ball-carriers and hits with his chest

+ Not afraid to stick his face in the fan and replace the safety, when that guy is being crack-blocked

+ Effective blitzer off the edge (particularly from the boundary), being able to reduce the inside shoulder if needed and create negative plays with how quickly he covers ground

+ Earned an highest run defense grade from PFF of any corner in this draft last season (90.6)

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Weaknesses:

- Gets a little sloppy in his backpedal and tends to open his hips prematurely at times in off-man coverage

- You see him get turned around BADLY by some advanced route-runners who can bluff at the release or add a little English at the break-point to throw him off

- Susceptible to biting on double moves and doesn’t quite have that extra gear he can access to make up for it

- Tends to get a little antsy when he’s playing with his back to the quarterback and the receiver has a step on him

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Comparing Arnold with former Alabama running mate Kool-Aid McKinstry is quite interesting, because the slightly younger and less experienced Arnold can be more disruptive off the line, he has better short-area explosiveness and even though he was clocked at a 4.51, I don’t think you get any concerns about long speed when you watch some of the reps hanging stride-for-stride with speedsters down the field. However, in terms of route anticipation, clean footwork and comfort playing with his back to the quarterback, there’s clearly some room for improvement – which is understandable since he only turns 21 years old the day this list is released. So while there are times when you’d like to see more patience, you also really like the urgency he displays in other areas, in particular when it comes to shutting down perimeter runs and completions in front of him. Arnold can probably fit in any system, although a more man-centric approach would allow a smoother transition to the pros, while if he can harness that aggressiveness eventually, he can excels playing off and pattern-match as well.

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5. Cooper DeJean, Iowa

6’1”, 205 pounds; JR

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One of the top-500 overall recruits in 2021, DeJean saw very limited usage in seven games as a true freshman (four tackles and no passes defensed), before jumping onto the scene in year two, with 75(!) tackles, three for loss, five interceptions – three(!) of which he returned for touchdowns – and eight more passes broken up. Yet, he still “only” earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades. As a junior, his numbers dropped off a little bit (41 tackles, two sacks, two INTs and five PBUs, yet he received first-team All-American notice. He also averaged 13.1 yards on punt return for his career and took one back to the house last year, earning first-team All-Big Ten in that capacity on top of it.

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Man-coverage:

+ Calm in his back-pedal in off-man coverage, not getting too far onto his heels and staying ready to redirect forward

+ For a guy his size, how oily his hips are to not get lost having to flip around against double-releases is pretty rare

+ Doesn’t stop fighting the hands and trying to arm-bar receivers on fade routes

+ Comfortable utilizing speed-turns, such as flipping back around against post routes after getting his body tilted towards the sideline

+ Has the make-up speed to recover when caught a little bit out of phase

+ Showcases highly impressive long speed to stay in phase against those cross-country and post routes all the way outside the opposite hash

+ You see him shut down drag routes for no YAC, even when lined up outside of stacks and having extra ground to cover

+ Held opponents to 57-of-118 (48.3%) for 614 yards and two touchdowns compared to his seven interceptions over the past two seasons

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Zone-coverage:

+ Great all-around feel in zone coverage, in terms of eye-discipline and quick trigger

+ His understanding for landmarks, funneling routes towards the deep safety and positioning himself according to the pattern is apparent

+ Packs a lot of force in his hands to where when he pushes receivers towards his teammates, they end up on the turf a few times

+ Does a nice job of mid-pointing routes while tilting towards the bigger threat

+ Shows the mental capacity and play-making instincts to come off routes in cover-three/-four and get his hands on the ball or dislodge it from the intended target with force

+ Comes downhill with a like a bolt of lightning and applies the same kind of impact, as he drives forward on out routes as a flat-/quad-defender

+ Consistently sticks his hand right in-between the palms of the intended target after closing on as a zone-defender, yet also tracks the ball well and is able to come down with it himself when it’s thrown over his head

+ Finds a nice balance between peaking back at the quarterback and not losing track of the receiver he’s engaged with is on extended plays in the red-zone

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Run defense & tackling:

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The rest of the analysis can be found !

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6. Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

6’0”, 185 pounds; JR

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7. Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri

5'11”, 175 pounds; SR

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8. T.J. Tampa, Iowa State

6’1”, 195 pounds; SR

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9. Max Melton, Rutgers

5’11”, 190 pounds; JR

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T.-10. Khyree Jackson, Oregon

6’4”, 195 pounds; RS SR

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T.-10. Renardo Green, Florida State

6’0”, 185 pounds; RS SR

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Just missed the cut / The great nickelbacks:

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Mike Sainristil, Michigan

5’9”, 185 pounds; RS SR

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Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

5’11”, 180 pounds; RS JR

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Andru Phillips, Kentucky

5’11”, 190 pounds; RS JR

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The next names up:

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Cam Hart (Notre Dame), Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (Louisville), Jarrian Jones (Florida State), Elijah Jones (Boston College), Josh Newton (TCU), D.J. James (Auburn), Daequan Hardy (Penn State), Myles Harden (North Dakota), Caelen Carson (Wake Forest) & Chau Smith-Wade (Washington State)

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If you enjoyed this article, please visit & feel free to check out my video on the !

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Twitter: @ halilsfbtalk

Instagram: @ halilsrealfootballtalk

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Example: This exact thing happened last year with the Lions and Cowboys late in the year, about 2:05 on the clock before the 1st down play, I think it was the cowboys who gained about 7 yards but it was a holding penalty so they then had 1st and 20 but it was now at the 2 minute warning instead of 2:05. This gave them a way around the 2 minute warning being another timeout for the Lions. If you decline the penalty then any yards gained will still count. So violently hold on the play and force the team to choose between the yards or the clock

I can’t find the whole game or I would also provide video

I'm doing a mock draft with 31 other friends where I'm going to manage the Falcons. I do this every year and I always enjoy managing franchises that I like, in order to get to know them a bit better. Although Falcons is not my team, I've followed them for some time with excitement. I am a huge Raheem Morris fan and has been since his Bucs HC days and I'm excited to see what Zac Robinson can get out of this offense.

To prepare for the real mock draft I usually do a lot of practise mock drafts. Now I've run 3 mock draft simulations with three different draft strategies and I'm curious to know what this sub thinks of it. But before diving into the mock drafts, I have to give my assessment of the teamneeds and the position groups on the current roster.

EDGE I don't think I need to elaborate much on this matter. This team is way to good to have that kind of talent - or more precise - lack of talent at edge.

Corner Clark Phillips iii came on late last season when Okudah went down and looked promising but he's got a size disadvanges when lining up outside. There are a handful of good corners in the league at 5'11 (Denzel Ward, Trent McDuffie, Devon Witherspoon) and could Clark Phillips iii (5'10) be an outlier and overcome that? Maybe. He showed that he might have the skillset but even so there's still depth issues on the position right now. Okudah is gone and other than AJ Terrell there's some concern. Corner is a priority.

Defensive Line Grady Jarrett will be 31 when the season begins and he's coming off an ACL injury from last year. Even if Jarrett won't miss a beat, Falcons could still need some depth and long term answers. It usually takes a few years for players to develop and establish themselves at IDL positions in so I think they there's a good chance they will address it in the draft.

Wide Receiver Paying Darnell Mooney almost $40M over three years brings speed and quality to a needy WR corp. Haters will say he's underperformed while supporters will say he's suffered from poor QB play. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middel and giving him a top 10 QB we will find out who he is for sure. KhaDarel Hodge is a dawg but he's not going to keep the FO away from drafting a new WR, and I honestly believe Rondale Moore would've been cut before the season starts if he were to remain at Arizona. Another WR besides Mooney&London wouldn't hurt at all and what other class to find one than this.

Safety It seems so wrong to list safety as a need when you got Jessie Bates iii on the team. The guy is a baller. I think it's fair to say that Richie Grant has consistency&coverage issues and he lost the starting job to DeMarcco Hellams, who I am also a bit unsure of. I would say safety is a question mark and Fontenot could for all I know draft a guy day 2 as well as day three and perhaps not at all.

OLine I think the starting O-Line is pretty much in place. And it's a fairly talented one. However beyond the five starters there's some depth issues that probably will need a mid-late draft pick.

The 3 mocks

It seems like every draft has the Falcons to draft Dallas Turner at #8. So exactly that will be the basis for my first mock.

#8 Dallas Turner - EDGE Alabama No 1. edge guy is leaving the green room.

#43 TJ Tampa - CB Iowa State He's got size and movement and will push Clark Phillips to the slot.

#63 (via GB) Ruke Orhorhoro - DL Clemson (traded up from #74. Price: #143). Ruke had a great outing at the combine and I had to trade up for him to get him.

#79 Jamari Thrash - WR Louisville After the first three selections going defense, Kirk gets some help

#109 Javon Foster - OT Missouri Depth-pick and possile swing tackle

#143 Used to trade up for Ruke Orhorhoro

#187 Kingsley Eguakun - IOL Florida Late round flier

#197 Josh Proctor - S Ohio State Late round flier

If JJ McCarthy is off the board before the Falcons selection either of Alt, Odunze and Nabers will be there at #8. What happens if you pull the trigger on one of those guys?

#8 Malik Nabers - WR LSU This could've easily been Rome Odunze but you get the point.

#43 Bralen Trice - EDGE Washington Taking BPA at #8 compromise the talent you get at #43.

#74 Max Melton - CB Rutgers Another guy with a really good showcase at the combine

#79 Patrick Paul - OT Houston With Arthur Smith going out of the building and Captain Kirk coming in, the offense will rely on the pass more now. Patrick Paul's skillset is matching that.

#109 Mekhi Wingo - DL LSU 3yr starter at LSU and he will help Falcons transition to 34 defense.

#143 Marist Liufau - LB Notre Dame Special teamer with the opportunity to be a starter down the road. Landman is a free agent after this season and he could be his successor if he walks next year.

#187 Evan Williams - S Oregon 7th rounder DeMarcco Hellams could compete for the job with 6th rounder Evan Williams.

#197 Carter Bradley - QB South Alabama Taylor Heinicke is a good and expensive backup. Heinicke will stay and Bradley can be a camp arm and maybe turn into the backup Heinicke is in the future.

Before my last mock I need to spice it up a bit. In this mock I'm giving a 3rd next year and a 6th this year for Reddick. I think trading for Haason Reddick will give a lot of flexibility in the draft. I'm not sure how the contract will come into place since y'all broke, but there's always some restructures to be made somewhere, right? Just ask your division rivals. I imagine Howie being a pain in the ass to trade with but he just drafted Nolan Smith last year in the 1st, signed Bryce Huff and re-signed Josh Sweat to huge deals this offseason while also rostering Brandon Graham. It would be wise to get some draft compensation for Reddick because he probably won't be around come 2025.

Also. If JJ McCarthy is still available at #8, the Vikings could potentially become a trade partner, especially if they believe the Jets or Broncos might leapfrog them to draft McCarthy. This happens in my 3rd mock. Trading back from #8 will yield a 3rd next year as well as swapping #143 with Minnesotas #129 this year.

#11 Quinyon Mitchell - CB Toledo Turner went to Bears in my mock here. With Reddick on the roster this gets the opportunity to get hands on the best CBs in the class. I could also have gone for Arnold but landed on Mitchell.

#43 Ricky Pearsall - WR Florida He's a dawg.

#74 Jonah Elliss - ED Utah Getting Kaden teamed up with his brother. Had to do it and I know y'all are here for it.

#79 Cole Bishop - S Utah Cole Bishop will compete with DeMarcco Hellams for the starting safety job opposite Bates.

#109 Beaux Limmer - IOL Arkansas Once again a selection focused to strenghen the OL depth.

#129 Khristian Boyd - DT Northern Iowa (swapped with Vikings #143) If he had played at a bigger school he would've gotten a lot more buzz.

#197 Julian Pearl - OT Illinois It's a late round flier.

I think you could make a fourth scenario with Alt being there at #8 but I didn't feel like doing it. At least for now. As said in the beginning Falcons is not my team although I always have liked them a lot, and therefore I've probably missed some details and perspectives. Let me know what and let me know which mock you prefer.