Falcons 7-Round Mock Draft: EDGE Prospect Sneaks Into Top 10
By Peter Jurich
Round 7, No. 224 (via LV): McClendon Curtis, IOL, Tennessee-Chattanooga
The seventh round of this mock draft is the perfect place to add a high-ceiling player from a small school, and the Falcons should look no further than Tennessee Chattanooga’s McClendon Curtis. At 6′ 6″ and 325 pounds, Curtis has great size to play either guard or tackle in the NFL but will need a lot of help and coaching before being ready to take the field.
Curtis’s tape shows an aggressive and hungry player who gets involved even when uncovered as a blocker. The pass protection is solid, but the run-blocking skills will need some coaching and technique work to effectively use his size and strength as a blocker.
Curtis’s timeline could fit in well with a team who does not need offensive line help immediately, and he could become a starter at some point under his rookie contract. No matter what, Curtis will at least be a good depth at the beginning of his career, likely serving as a reserve guard in some capacity.
Round 7, No. 225: Davis Allen, TE, Clemson
With their final pick in this 2023 Mock Draft, the Atlanta Falcons use their second seventh-round pick to add another pass catcher in the form of Clemson tight end Davis Allen. Behind Kyle Pitts, Allen could be an ideal backup tight end, especially with a role in the red zone as a big-body receiving target or as a run blocker in multiple tight end sets.
At 6’6″ and 245 pounds, Allen is a large and athletic tight end who gets open with his size and leverage. With 39 receptions, 443 yards, and five touchdowns in 2022, Allen’s final collegiate season was his best. Allen is not the best route runner and will rarely work himself into being wide-open, but has an affinity for winning contested catches and can haul in the majority of passes in his radius.
As a blocker, Allen is good but not great, but with his athletic frame, the prospect has the potential to improve in his physicality and strength at the point of attack in the NFL. Allen would be another dependable option for Ridder over the middle of the field and would make a great pairing of athletic tight ends alongside Pitts.