Levi Brown (Penn State)
We're one week out, and I took a look at some of the top free mainstream media mock drafts (meaning: other than Kiper's premium site). The "gurus" have the following players projected for the Falcons with the #8 slot as of April 20th.
-- LaRon Landry, S (LSU) - SI.com, NFL.com B, NBC and ESPN SportsNation
-- Levi Brown, OT (PSU) - Yahoo
-- Amobi Okoye, DL (Lville) - Sportsline A
-- Alan Branch, DT (Michigan) - NFL.com A
-- Gaines Adams - DE (Clemson) - Sportsline B
Personally, I'm hoping for Levi Brown. I think the miracle trade to land Calvin Johnson is sort of a pipe dream given how badly the Tampa Bay Bucs need a WR. We would have to outbid them to get into the Top 3. Kiper thinks the Falcons still have a shot. I'd like to be wrong.
The Falcons haven't had a franchise offensive tackle like Brown in 10+ years. It would be nice to see what Ron Mexico could do with some decent pass protection.
Donde es el protection? (El pun es muy intended)
As for the Landry pick, I don't get it. Generally, there are only about two safeties taken in the first round. History has shown that you can get high quality Safeties, Running Backs, Offensive Guards and Centers in Round 2 and 3. If you're drafting a Safety with a Top 10 pick, he needs to be a Roy Williams or Sean Taylor type impact player. I've never thought of Landry in those terms.
It'll be interesting to see what they do with the pick. Ideally, Charles Johnson would slip to the 2nd Round for them. But that's asking a lot.
See Also:
-- Falcons Eye Landry - AJC
-- The #8 Pick in History -- AJC
-- Web's Largest Mock Draft Database (list) -- HailRedskins.com
-- AOL's Main NFL Fanhouse - Fanhouse
-- Mock Draft: Animals for our Personal Zoo - Kissing Suzy Kolber (warning: profanity)
-- Quien Es Mas Macho: Brady Quinn or Sanjaya Malakar - Kissing Suzy Kolber (warning: profanity)
PWD
