The Falcons have 82 days to continue preparing for the 2015 NFL Draft, held April 30-May 2 in the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago. Until then, NFL Draft analysts will continue watching tape and tweaking their mock drafts before all 32 teams eventually are deemed on the clock.
NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Lance Zierlein have weighed in on the player each believes the Falcons will select with the club's eighth-overall pick.
Jeremiah believes there could be an Alabama wide receiver reunion in Flowery Branch, predicting the Falcons will target Crimson Tide wide receiver Amari Cooper, who would then join fellow Alabama star Julio Jones in Atlanta.
Brooks believes the Falcons will pursue a defensive star with their top pick, landing Clemson Tigers outside linebacker Vic Beasley.
"Beasley has flashed the ability to take over the game with his speed, quickness and burst," Brooks said. "He overwhelms offensive tackles with his 'get-off' and burst, yet it's his balance and body control that allows him to turn the corner against elite pass protectors."
Sticking with the defensive mindset, Zierlein has targeted Nebraska outside linebacker Randy Gregory to fit in the Falcons draft plans.
"The Falcons have tried to figure out their edge-rushing issues for a few years, and Gregory would help address those issues," Zierlein said.
While Atlanta's official pick won't be confirmed until April 30, what we do know is the message new Falcons head coach Dan Quinn will give to the top-pick and the rest of his team when he addresses his entire club for the very first time.
"Accountability is one of the things that we want to talk about first," Quinn said. "The messaging for our team as we go all the way through the process will be competition first and finding a competitive edge in all that we do. It starts with that first and then effort and toughness and the ability to finish."
