Best Player in NFL Draft Coming Home to Falcons?

Mock drafts have Atlanta going local and making a steal with 8th pick

There are literally dozens of NFL mock drafts, and the NFL Mock Draft Database does its best to aggregate those predictions to form a consensus or single composite.

The Atlanta Falcons have eighth pick in April's NFL Draft. Because the Falcons have needs at virtually every position, trying to narrow the team's focus is tougher than most teams.

The player trending to the Falcons over the course of the last week according to NFL Mock Draft Database is Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.

The Atlanta native, who went to high school 19 miles from Mercedes Benz Stadium, is getting the Kyle Pitts treatment in this class. Many are calling Hamilton the best player in the draft.

Like Pitts, Hamilton plays a position that is generally considered non-premium when compared to quarterback, offensive tackle or defensive line.

But like Pitts, Hamilton transcends the positional constraints and is a game changer.

This is what NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah had to say before the 2021 season.

What I liked: Every NFL team is looking for long, rangy, versatile and explosive athletes to add on defense. Hamilton is right out of central casting. He can play as a high safety, a force player in the box or match up one-on-one with tight ends. He has excellent anticipation and takes ideal angles to the ball versus the run and the pass. He is an outstanding open-field tackler, too. He made several wow tackles against North Carolina's talented RB duo last season (before he was ejected for a targeting penalty late in the first half). He doesn't find himself out of position very often, but when it happens, he has big-time recovery speed. - Daniel Jeremiah

Hamilton's stock has only improved after his 2021 season. The Maris High School (Atlanta) graduate had 35 tackles and three interceptions in just seven games.

While Hamilton is the trendy pick, it's also the pick least likely to happen in the top 10. We mentioned the Falcons will be a tough team to predict because of needs across the entire roster; Hamilton is the most popular pick by being the Falcons' pick in just 9% of mocks.

That's the lowest in the top 10.

Contrast that pick with quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Carolina Panthers at No. 6 being the pick of 39% of mock drafts.

We don't expect Kyle Hamilton to be available when the Falcons pick No. 8. We expect Hamilton to end up in New York. The Giants and Jets each have two picks in the top 10.

The Jets pick at No. 4 and No. 10, while the Giants pick fifth and seventh.

One of those teams could take a chance on a non-premium position like safety to secure the draft's top player, while still getting an impact player at offensive tackle, edge or cornerback.

It's not considered a strong quarterback class, so the Falcons hope the Panthers continue to invest in the quarterback position at No. 6. That would push another position player down the board, while the Falcons look towards a stronger 2023 quarterback class for the long-term replacement for Matt Ryan.

If Hamilton wasn't available at No. 8, that would increase the odds of getting one of the top edge rushers like George Karlaftis out of Purdue.

The Falcons pass rush was dreadful in 2021, finishing dead last by a huge margin with just 17 sacks.

Atlanta could also get one of the top cornerbacks to pair with Pro Football Focus All-Pro A.J. Terrell. LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. is a popular choice if he falls to No. 8.

Having two lock-down cornerbacks would help the pass rush indirectly by allowing defensive coordinator Dean Pees to be more aggressive with pressure.

General manager Terry Fontenot believes in taking the best player available (BPA). He did it last year with Kyle Pitts. Obviously, there are limits to that strategy; the Falcons likely wouldn't take a tight end again at No. 8 even if he were the BPA.

But with so many holes to fill, tight end might be the only position safe from the BPA strategy when Atlanta is on the clock.

If Hamilton is available at No. 8, he certainly fits the BPA strategy.