2021 NFL Draft: Washington trades up for Justin Fields in NFL mock draft
By Kyle Edmond
North Dakota State. 4. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. 44. Trey Lance
The first NFC team on the board, the Atlanta Falcons are the first real mystery to me in the 2021 NFL Draft. For the Jaguars, Jets and Dolphins we have a pretty good feel for the direction they are going to go. As for the Falcons, there are so many different directions that they could go. Here, they look to the future.
Matt Ryan has a buyout at the end of the 2021 season, so adding Trey Lance this year seems like the perfect fit. Coming from an FCS, Lance could use the time to grow into the NFL so sitting a year behind Ryan would work well. This could also accelerate the rebuilding phase that seems inevitable for Atlanta.
As I said, the Falcons have a ton of needs, but long-term it might be wise to get out in front of their quarterback situation. This would be similar to how the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts last season, but there is obviously a lot more that comes with a top-five selection than a second-round pick.
How the Falcons use this pick will be very telling of the direction that the franchise wants to go. A non-quarterback shows more of a win-now mentality, but if they chose Lance or any other quarterback here then a rebuild should be looming.