Will the Falcons be Super Bowl winners next year?

     The reigning NFC South champs are no slouch when it comes to playoff games...at least not anymore. After lifting the monkey off their backs and finally winning a postseason game the Falcons are looking to improve. What are their team needs after getting exposed by the 49ers? Who should they sign via free agency? Who should Thomas Dimitroff draft next month? How much better can the team really get and are they even capable of being better than the 49ers next year?

How's the Defense?

     I figured I would talk about the "D" first because if I praised the offense for 2 paragraphs you might not read what the team actually needs to fix in the off-season; their dreadful defense. As a football fan, watching an Atlanta Falcons game last year was very gratifying. The offense carried the team all season, providing highlight TDs week in and week out. The problem is that the defense gave up highlight reel plays all year as well, meaning that you got to see entertaining football! Their pass rushers got an abysmal 29 sacks, which put them at 28th in the league. The Falcons also gave up 365 total yards a game and thats good(no it's really not) for 9th worst in the NFL. On the flipside the Falcons still got 20 INTs on the season, without Brent Grimes. But the reality of the situation is that teams weren't afraid to throw it on the Falcons. As a matter of fact, they HAD to with Matt Ryan's offense getting leads early in games. Remember, the Dirty Birds started the season 11-1 while on their way to earning a #1 seed and hosting the NFC Championship. So what about the run defense? 12th worst...averaging 123 yards a game. This puts their defensive needs at the following 5 positions: DE, DT, LB, S, CB. Yes, the Falcons needs help on ALL levels on the defense.

     With free agency in full swing I don't expect the Falcons to make any big splashes on the defensive side. They just extended William Moore's contract 5 more years, which was expected but they don't have a history of spending crazy on defensive free agents. Letting Ray Edwards go for insubordination, then cutting John Abraham and Dunta Robinson shows you the Falcons are trying to get younger. I could see a scenario where they re-sign Brent Grimes but don't be shocked if he ends up elsewhere with a bigger contract. So what do you do? Thomas Dimitroff has history of drafting very talented players and that successful foundation of young players led them to an NFC Championship this year.  So who do you draft? I'll give you a list of incoming rookies who will have a major impact from their 2nd year in the NFL on out...

Margus Hunt will be a 4X Pro Bowler if he can stay healthy in the NFL

1.  Jesse Williams         DT  Alabama             6'3"  323
2.  Johnathan Hankins  DT  Ohio State           6'3" 320
3.  Damontre Moore    DE  Texas A&M        6'4" 250
4.  Margus Hunt           DE  SMU                  6'8" 277
5.  Arthur Brown          LB  Kansas St           6'0" 241
6.  Desmond Trufant    CB  Washington          6'0" 190
7.  Jamar Taylor           CB  Boise St              5'11" 192
8.  Eric Reid                 FS  LSU                    6'1"  213
9.  DJ Swearinger         FS  South Carolina    5'11" 208


     This isn't my list of the only impact players in the draft, just the only players the Falcons have a shot at drafting who will have a major impact within 1-2 years. The most intriguing of the group has to be Margus Hunt who is a field goal blocking, block shedding beast.  The former rugby player has a knack for making plays but is very new to the game and too raw to make an immediate impact. Still, look for the Falcons to land one of these players in the 1st or 2nd round as they all fit the mold of what Atlanta does with their 4-3 scheme.