NFL Mock Draft: Falcons Select 'Explosive' Alabama Edge Dallas Turner

The Atlanta Falcons were recently projected to select Alabama Crimson Tide edge rusher Dallas Turner in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Head coach? Check. New offseason expectations? Yep. NFL Draft selections? Pending.

It's a new era for the Atlanta Falcons after the hiring of Raheem Morris as the team's head coach this offseason, but one of the biggest steps the franchise will make will come with the 2024 NFL Draft. Speculation has swirled as to whether or not Atlanta will opt to take a quarterback out of the collegiate ranks due to its struggles at the position in recent seasons, but one mock draft has the Falcons focusing on defense.

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From FanNation at SI.com, the Falcons were projected to spend their No. 8 overall pick on Alabama Crimson Tide edge rusher Dallas Turner, one of the top players out of the Southeastern Conference.

Besides going to school in Tuscaloosa and being in close proximity to Atlanta, Turner has put up a monster career with the Tide, including registering 28 solo tackles and 10 sacks in 2023.

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"Ever see a pass rusher with a rocket strapped to his back? Turner is explosive and then some," Athlon Sports writes. "The first-step quickness, especially out of a 2-point stance, will win him quite a few reps immediately on the edge."

The Falcons have some capable pass rushers already in Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree, but how can you turn down speed such as Turner's? If Atlanta doesn't go the route of a quarterback in the first round of the draft, why not bolster the front seven? Morris is, after all, a defensive-minded head coach, so it would be fitting, in that regard.