Falcon Report

2023 NFL Draft: Who Do Falcons Select No. 1?

The Falcons are expected to be picking towards the top of next April's draft.

Jeremy Brener

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Falcons don't have high expectations heading into the 2022 season. Many fans and critics expect the Falcons to be one of the league's worst teams and back in the top 10 for a third straight year in the draft.

Some are taking it a step further, saying the Falcons will be on the clock to start the draft in late April ... including Sports Illustrated, who projects Atlanta will take Alabama defensive lineman Will Anderson with the top pick. Here's more of what SI had to say ...

While it wouldn’t surprise me if the Falcons drafted a quarterback—Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Alabama’s Bryce Young—even after drafting Desmond Ridder in the third round last April, Anderson enters the 2022 college football season comfortably ranked as my top draft prospect and Atlanta is still early in its rebuild process. Rookie edge defenders Arnold Ebiketie (38th pick in ’22) and DeAngelo Malone (82nd) will help improve a pass rush that generated a league-low 18 sacks last season, but Anderson would give his hometown team a true difference maker. Anderson, who played his high school football less than 30 miles from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Hampton, Ga., led the nation in QB pressures in each of the past two seasons—60 in ’20 (as a true freshman) and 81 in ’21, per PFF stats. Anderson’s not just an elite pass rusher, he’s also an outstanding run defender as well.

The team will have to get some sneak preview of third-round rookie Desmond Ridder in the second half of the season to get a true idea of whether it can pass up on a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. But Anderson may be the best player in the draft on either side of the ball.

C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young could be intriguing and get the Falcons fully on the rebuild train, but taking the best defender in the draft could go a long way to reshaping Atlanta's defense.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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