The drama and intrigue continue to build as the 2015 NFL Draft is now closer than ever, beginning tonight through Saturday in Chicago. Among the many mock drafts submitted throughout the recent months, including this week, a majority of the experts believe the Atlanta Falcons will use their No. 8-overall pick on a defensive star, possibly Clemson's Vic Beasley, Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Kentucky's Alvin "Bud" Dupree, among other pass-rush specialists.
Just over hours away from Atlanta's actual pick, however, have a look at which experts changed their minds, thinking the Falcons may flip the script and select Georgia running back Todd Gurley as their top choice.
Alvin "Bud" Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
"Why they take him: Adding pass-rush help is an absolute necessity, and Dupree not only gives them a versatile talent on the edge, but a guy who doesn't get all his value from rushing the passer.
Why they pass: Perhaps they've already traded up for Fowler. Or if the Bears pass on Scherff, he would be an immediate help in Atlanta."
Change from previous pick:* *Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
Alvin "Bud" Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
"There's a decent chance the Falcons trade up to draft an edge rusher -- either Dante Fowler Jr. or Vic Beasley. But in this scenario, Dupree would make sense, as he's extremely physically gifted and has the length new Falcons coach Dan Quinn is looking for out of his Leo edge rusher."
Change from previous pick: Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
"The Falcons' No. 1 priority is upgrading the pass rush."
Change from previous pick: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
La'el Collins, OT, LSU
"The Falcons would love to add a pass rusher, but adding a hard-nosed blocker like Collins would help alter the offense's 'soft' reputation."
Change from previous pick:Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
Brandon Scherff, OT/OG, Iowa
"This is a nightmare scenario for Atlanta. Pick for sale. Pick for sale. If it goes this way, it's Trade Back Time. The Falcons want one of the top pass-rushers, but likely would shy away from either Missouri's Shan Ray or Nebraska's Randy Gregory this high in the draft. Without doing a trade, I'm perplexed where to put them here. So they go offensive line, an area of need, but certainly not one that is winning them five more games next year."
The last thing the 2015 Scouting Combine participants were thinking about was their facial expressions, which makes them so darn funny to look at
Arkansas defensive lineman Darius Philon
Auburn defensive lineman Gabe Wright
Clemson defensive lineman Grady Jarrett
Clemson defensive lineman Tavaris Barnes
Clemson defensive lineman Vic Beasley
Delaware tight end Nick Boyle
Florida defensive lineman/linebacker Dante Fowler
Florida State defensive back PJ Williams
Florida State defensive lineman Mario Edwards
Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston
Hawaii running back Joey Iosefa
Kentucky linebacker Bud Dupree
Kentucky defensive lineman Za'Darius Smith
Lafayette running back Ross Scheuerman
Memphis defensive back Bobby McCain
Miami defensive lineman Anthony Chickillo
Miami (Ohio) running back Quinten Rollins
Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams
Ole Miss defensive back Cody Prewitt
Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota
Penn State offensive lineman Donovan Smith
NFL Network's Rich Eisen
San Diego State wide receiver Ezell Ruffin
Southern Miss defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Stanford offensive lineman Andrus Peat
Texas defensive lineman Malcom Brown
Towson defensive back Tye Smith
UConn wide receiver Geremy Davis
Southern Cal defensive lineman Leonard Williams
Virginia Tech defensive back Kyoshen Jarrett
Virginia defensive lineman Eli Harold
Washington defensive back Marcus Peters
Change from previous pick: Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
Alvin "Bud" Dupree, DE, Kentucky
"New Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn needs to find a pass rusher. Alvin Dupree gets the call here. Something to watch with this franchise - it wouldn't surprise me to see Atlanta make a move up to so they can land Dante Fowler. Quinn coached Fowler at Florida."
Change from previous pick: Randy Gregory, DE, Nebraska
Alvin "Bud" Dupree, DE, Kentucky
"The Falcons brought in former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as head coach to bring some intensity and pass rush. Dupree isn't as technically refined yet as some of his competitors, but he has the tools Quinn can develop."
Change from previous pick: Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
"One could make the argument that Gurley is the most talented player in this draft class, so to get him with the eighth pick could prove to be excellent value for Atlanta. With Steven Jackson no longer on the roster, Devonta Freeman and Gurley would be a fun duo to watch."
Change from previous pick: Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
"Beasley put on 10 pounds to get up to 246 and still blew out every test at the combine. He lived in opposing backfields, especially over the last two years with over 70 plays behind the line of scrimmage. The Falcons have not had an athlete like this since John Abraham."
Change from previous pick: No change
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
"I'm told his knee checked out better than expected. One team source I spoke to said Gurley could play for them Week 1."
Change from previous pick: Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida
"The idea here is that Atlanta moves up a bit to get Fowler, re-connecting him with Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. Complicating matters is the rumor early Thursday morning that the Falcons could be making a play for Seattle Seahawks pass rusher Bruce Irvin."
Change from previous pick: Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
Leading Vote-Getters
- Alvin "Bud" Dupree (4)
- Todd Gurley (2)
- Vic Beasley (1), Dante Fowler Jr. (1), Shane Ray (1), La'el Collins (1), Brandon Scherff (1)
