Falcons 'Have to Draft QB' - Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett - Says NFL Scout

An NFL evaluator believes a pair of teams inside the top 10 should be - well, must be - targeting a quarterback in the first round.

The Atlanta Falcons made a blockbuster transaction at quarterback with the trade of Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts. They made another headline move at the position with the signing of Marcus Mariota.

But one more blockbuster is coming, it seems. On draft night.

Even though many talent evaluators - scouts from actual NFL teams - tell us this year's rookie quarterback class is short of can't-miss superstars in waiting - they also agree that supply and demand means QBs will go high.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Commanders/comments/rqg98m/ridder_corral_pickett_willis_howell_strong_meet/

It's a QB league.

So guys get pushed up the draft board. ... higher and higher, the closer we get to the end of April.

Maybe with that in mind, CBS Sports insider Jason La Canfora in his conversations with league executives on the subject, believes Atlanta is going to be one of those "higher and higher'' teams when it comes to QB.

La Canfora believes he's got the goods on the two teams inside the top 10 ... and on the two QBs as well.

From CBS Sports: “Atlanta and Carolina almost have to take a quarterback,” an NFL evaluator said. “They can’t wait another year. And they can’t sell the (quarterbacks) they have right now. If (Liberty's Malik) Willis or (Pitt's Kenny) Pickett are there, I don’t believe they can pass on them. I’m pretty convinced of it.”

The Falcons and Panthers can't argue against the general logic, in part because both of these clubs made strong runs at trading for Deshaun Watson before he moved from Houston to Cleveland. What can be argued about is 1) whether Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis are really the eighth best player in this draft, 2) which one is better and 3) whether there are other candidates in this draft who can be selected at a lower spot.

The first round of the NFL Draft will take place on April 28, and the Falcons' decision at No. 8 is a pivotal one - for the franchise and for the draft itself.