Falcons Draft: Day 2 Defined By Desmond & Defense

The Atlanta Falcons made another solid selection in the third round by selecting LB DeAngelo Malone.

The Atlanta Falcons walked away from Day 2 of the NFL Draft with four strong picks, addressing the team's biggest remaining needs at quarterback and pass rush.

DeAngelo Malone 

DeAngelo Malone 

DeAngelo Malone 

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On the defensive side of the ball, the team selected Penn State EDGE Arnold Ebiketie (No. 38) after making a trade with the New York Giants, Montana State LB Troy Andersen (No. 58) and Western Kentucky LB DeAngelo Malone (No. 82).

At quarterback, the team got their guy in Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder (No. 74).

"You don't all of a sudden get on the clock and start dismissing all the work the scouts have put in," general manager Terry Fontenot said entering Day 2 of the Draft. "We talk about being collaborative, and then you go away from strategies just because you're on the clock.” 

Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer

Desmond Ridder 

Desmond Ridder 

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Desmond Ridder 

The actions back up the words. The Falcons saw their biggest need at wide receiver and addressed it immediately on Day 1. Then, the pass rush, followed by a quarterback.

"We basically have the players stacked, and we'll sit down and go through them and really talk about our stack," Fontenot said. "We are making a decision on these are players that are going to be there and these are players we expect and let's weigh what it will cost to go up and what we'll gain to come back and just weigh all that out.

The Falcons will return to the war room Saturday with three picks to round out the draft class.