Dark Horse Tavern » The Falcons are going to draft accordin

g to their needs Youth Deion Sanders Jersey , and one of their biggest needs is defensive end. If they don’t at least partially solve that in free agency, the pressure will be on for them to use their first round pick on a pass rusher who can replace or at least supplement Vic Beasley.But I hope the Falcons won’t overthink it if they get to #14 and the best player available is not a defensive end, but a defensive tackle like Houston’s Ed Oliver or Mississippi State’s Jeffery Simmons. If that’s the case, the Falcons shouldn’t dwell too much on the fact that they have Grady Jarrett (who is about to get a lucrative extension, yes please), Jack Crawford and Deadrin Senat. They should go get that player.I say this not just because I very much hope Oliver lands in Atlanta, but because of the short-term and long-term outlook for such a player in Atlanta. In the short term, a player who can wreak havoc on the interior is still incredibly valuable, and it gives the Falcons three such players. It allows the Falcons to potentially put together lines that feature Takk McKinley, Jarrett, Crawford and a rookie defensive tackle for a line that mixes sizes and viciousness. And it allows them to pair a potentially elite player with Jarrett if (or perhaps when Stitched Steve Bartkowski Jersey , given his production) Crawford exits in free agency in 2020. Deadrin Senat will still have a role on obvious run downs, too. That’s not even mentioning that this could be a strong defensive end class in free agency, and I’m hopeful Atlanta will invest the money in the position necessary to really upgrade it with Brooks Reed in the final year of his deal, Beasley struggling and not much else going on. You’re not going to hear me complain if the Falcons significantly improve their defensive line, no matter how they do so. I just hope they don’t overlook a potential great in favor of fixing the weaker end position. The Falcons faced some tough personnel decisions this offseason and will continue to build through the NFL Draft."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Library FalcFans Podcast on The FalcoholicContact The FalcoholicFalcons StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Falcons NewsYahoo Falcons Team PageYahoo Falcons ReportYahoo Falcons Depth ChartYahoo Falcons TransactionsYahoo Falcons PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Falcons’ Dan Quinn on balancing act of paying veterans and building through the draftNew,27commentsThe Falcons faced some tough personnel decisions this offseason and will continue to build through the NFL Draft. EDTShareTweetShareShareFalcons’ Dan Quinn on balancing act of paying veterans and building through the draftTrevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsThe quality of the Falcons’ drafts in recent years has been great for the long-term prospects of the team. But with so many guys cycling toward the end of their rookie contracts, it puts the Falcons in a tight spot financially, and it led to some tough decisions. Dan Quinn addressed this at the league’s spring meetings last month. “It’s a hard thing sometimes for the fan base to understand. ‘Why don’t you re-sign everybody?’ I would totally love that. You do have to be strategic,” Quinn said.Teams don’t have a choice, as the salary cap is what it is. The cap is set at $188.2 million for this season, and the Falcons currently sit with just over $4.5 million to spend per Spotrac Youth Steve Bartkowski Jersey , factoring in projected salaries for draft picks. This is part of the reason we saw players like Robert Alford, Brooks Reed, and Tevin Coleman leave the Falcons this offseason. Quinn noted Coleman in particular as one the team didn’t necessarily want to move on from, but they just couldn’t afford to keep him. “There are a number of guys who really during their time here did an excellent job. (Coleman) is one of those,” Quinn said. “You’ll always be connected to those players forever. You have a lot of respect for the job they did and helping you win. You always pull for them and feeling a good way.” The team’s focus on the draft should help them balance the need to stay under the cap and have the flexibility to sign some key free agents in the future. “Also, we like developing players through the draft,” Quinn said. “That’s an important piece, and you would see why we would be so excited when you have nine picks for someone like ourselves who loves developing players. It’s a good thing.”But the key is helping young players develop quickly enough to contribute. They’ve had luck with players like Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, Grady Jarrett Stitched Brett Favre Jersey , and others who were able to hit the ground running post-draft. Now with most of those guys inching toward the ends of their rookie deals, and Jarrett currently set to play under the franchise tag at a $15.2 million price point this season, the pressure will be on for this group of rookies to step up. “When you add some high-priced players, which we do, there has to be some balance with the rookies coming in and let’s make sure each of them have a really specific role on the team,” Quinn said. “We’re going to count on some of these guys as first-year players, second-year players, to have leading roles on the team. That’s kind of the fun part of putting it all together.”There’s a lot that remains to be seen about what the team is able to negotiate with those players inching toward a big payday. The focus for Atlanta will continue to be on drafting young, cheap players who can contribute to the Falcons’ success, which should help the team balance things financially.