2024 NFL Mock Draft: Falcons Beef Up Pass Rush

The Atlanta Falcons have their new rookie class from the 2023 NFL Draft, but there's always time to look towards the future.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 30, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The 2023 NFL Draft is officially behind us, which means the countdown for next year has just begun.

It's hard to determine where each team will land in the draft order for next year, but Pro Football Focus has done just that with its way-too-early 2024 mock draft. PFF believes the Atlanta Falcons will end up with the No. 9 overall pick, selecting Florida State EDGE rusher Jared Verse.

"Verse would’ve likely been a first-round selection in 2023 had he declared," PFF writes. "Instead, he enters next season as a projected top-10 pick in 2024. The former Albany edge dominated in his first season at the FBS level, as his 24.4% pass-rush win rate was fourth among Power Five edge defenders while his 10 tackles for loss/no gain tied for sixth."

Verse had potential to be a high pick in this year's draft, but opted to stay one more season at Florida State. Had he declared, it's possible that he would have been on the Falcons' radar. Atlanta has had arguably the weakest pass rush in the league the past two seasons, finishing dead last in sacks in 2021 and 31st in 2022.

The Falcons hope that number will rise with veteran free agent signings Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree, but both are on one-year deals. The team also drafted Ohio State EDGE rusher Zach Harrison in the third round, and the Falcons hope he'll be part of the team's revolution at the position alongside 2022 draftees Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone, among others.

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Published Apr 30, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.