Falcons Face Tough Choice at No. 8 in NFL.com's 'Sourced' Mock Draft

Will the Atlanta Falcons forgo the "best prospect available" mantra at No. 8 in the NFL Draft?

Alabama Crimson Tide Edge Dallas Turner / Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons have lived by the "best prospect available" mantra under general manager Terry Fontenot. In Fontenot's first-three drafts in Atlanta, he has ignored needs and positional value to take a tight end and a running back in the top ten in his tenure.

In the 2024 NFL Draft, there appear to be four quarterbacks going in the first-seven picks and another four-elite offensive prospects: wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze as well as offensive tackle Joe Alt.

Those eight prospects are widely considered the top-eight prospects in the draft. The Falcons draft... eighth.

Atlanta filled its need at quarterback when they signed Kirk Cousins last month. They have a veteran offensive line and a slew of offensive weapons. The biggest-remaining need is edge rusher.

NFL Network's Pete Schrager released his first mock draft of the year on Tuesday. Schrager discloses that these are his best guesses for what each team will do after weeks of talking with league sources.

At least one of the elite eight will be available when the Falcons pick, but Schrager thinks the Falcons fill their biggest need with former Alabama Crimson Tide star Dallas Turner at No. 8.

"With a top-10 pick in each of the past three drafts, the Falcons have gone tight end, wide receiver, running back," wrote Schrager on NFL.com. "Thus, I can't see them targeting WR Malik Nabers this time around, as tempting as that might be. Instead, Atlanta fills a long-standing need on the edge with the explosive pass rusher out of Alabama."

Nabers falls to Chicago with the No. 9 pick. He's ranked the No. 3 prospect by ESPN and NFL.com.

Obviously every draft board will look different, and the Falcons may very well have Turner, or Florida State's Jared Verse in their top eight.

The Falcons also have a need for another wide receiver, though I believe that need ranks fourth behind edge, cornerback and safety. Nabers may be too good to pass up if he ends up being the best prospect on the Falcons board by some distance.

The Falcons long-standing need at edge rusher could be filled in this draft. The right guy hasn't been available in the past-three drafts (Micah Parsons was considered a linebacker first). An ideal situation would be the Falcons moving back a spot or two and still getting Turner.

However, nearly every mock draft for the last month has Turner going to the Falcons. He's a round peg in a round hole.

But is he truly the best prospect available?

Time will tell.