The Falcons have selected safety Shann Schillinger with the 171st pick overall (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  Schillinger is on the skinny side at 6’1″, 199 pounds.  He had 11 tackles and 4 interceptions at Montana last season.  In his career at Montana, Schillinger had 40 tackles, 11 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 7 interceptions.  This pick was a long shot for the Falcons but Schillinger was at the right place at the right time a lot in college.

The Falcons have picked WR Kerry Meier with the 165th overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Meier is a converted QB but he learned quickly as a possession type receiver.  He is 6’2″, 219 pounds and he runs a 4.65 40.  Meier is aggressive going for the ball most of the time even though he is shy sometimes over the middle.  Meier played in 12 games for Kansas last season and he caught 102 passes for 985 yards (9.7 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has played in 47 games (37 starts) in his four years in college and he caught 226 passes for 2,309 yards (10.2 avg) with 18 TD grabs.  The Falcons can also use Meier on trick plays as he was a QB when he got to Kansas and as a holder for kicks.  I think this was a solid pick for the Falcons.

The Falcons have picked CB Dominique Franks out of Oklahoma with the 135th overall pick (5th round) of the NFL Draft.  Franks is a outstanding athlete as he is 5’11″, 190 pounds and he runs a 4.4 40.  Franks is a gambling type as he makes a lot of big plays but he also gives up his fair share.  He is also a standout return man which is part of his game that could help the Falcons in the near future.  Franks played in 13 games (all starts) last season at Oklahoma and he had 47 tackles, he broke up 5 passes, he had 2 interceptions (97 return yards), he forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  Franks has now played in 40 games (28 starts) in his three years at Oklahoma in which he had 95 tackles, broke up 15 passes, he had 6 interceptions (149 return yards), he forced 1 fumble and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Franks has a nice upside as many experts predicted him to be picked in the 2nd or 3rd round.

The Falcons have selected G/C Joseph Hawley with the 117th overall pick (4th round) of the NFL Draft.  Hawley is a big guy at 6’3″, 311 pounds.  He can handle guard or center and he is also a good long snapper adding value to his overall game.  He is a good run blocker and a solid pass blocker who has a nasty attitude at times.  Hawley played in 12 games (all starts) at UNLV last season and he has played in 47 games (33 starts) in his four years there.  Hawley could develop into a starter fairly soon for the Falcons and I really like this pick for them.

The Falcons have selected OG Mike Johnson out of Alabama with the 98th pick overall (third round) of the NFL Draft.  Johnson has the size at 6’5″, 306 pounds to dominate but he’s a finesse player who is a much better pass blocker.  He is aggressive off the line but he does not have to power to lock and load in the running game.  Look for the Falcons to get Johnson in the weight room and keep him there for a while to add some hurtin’ power to his frame.  Johnson played in 14 games (all starts) at Alabama last season and he played in 54 games (41 starts) in his three years there.  I don’t think the Falcons are going to throw Johnson to the wolves right away but he has a nice upside if he improves his strength.

The Falcons have selected DT Corey Peters out of Kentucky with the 83rd overall pick (third round) of the NFL Draft.  Peters has good size at 6’3″, 315 pounds but he doesn’t play low enough which gets him taken out of plays quite a bit.  Look for the D-Line coaches of the Falcons to work a lot with him about keeping low because when he does he makes plays.  Peters played in 13 games (12 starts) with Kentucky last season and he had 56 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, he had 4 sacks, batted down 5 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  Peters played in 50 games (39 starts) in his four years at Kentucky in which he finished up with 153 tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, he batted down 11 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  This was a bit of a reach for the Falcons in the third round as he was projected to go somewhere between the 5th and 6th rounds.

The Falcons selected OLB Sean Weatherspoon out of Missouri with the 19th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.  Weatherspoon is an aggressive tackling machine.  He is very fast running a 4.5 40 despite being 6’0″, 241 pounds and that speed helps him in both coverage and when he blitzes.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for the Tigers last season in which he made 111 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, he had 4.5 sacks, broke up 2 passes and he had 1 interception.  Don’t expect double digit sack totals out of Weatherspoon as that is not his game but I think he will have a lot more tackles than most outside linebackers do as he has a nose for the football.  Weatherspoon played in 52 games (41 starts) in his four years at Missouri and he made 406 tackles, had 43.5 tackles for a loss, he had 12.5 sacks, broke up 17 passes and he intercepted 4 passes.  The Falcons likely found a starter from day #1 in 2010 in Weatherspoon who has a very high upside.

The Falcons will likely be looking to tighten up the defense this weekend at the NFL Draft.  They have 3 of the first 98 picks in the draft and 8 overall picks.  The Falcons have needs at CB, DE, T, G, C, WR and TE going into the draft.  The Falcons will likely be targeting C Maurkice Pouncey, WR Golden Tate, DE Juan Pierre-Paul, CB Perrish Cox, CB Patrick Robinson and DE Brandon Graham. 

PROJECTED FIRST ROUND PICK:  DE, Brandon Graham, Michigan

The Atlanta Falcons don’t feel like they have a lot of holes to fill on the team.  They have likely been focusing on the NFL Draft this weekend as they have only brought in one new player this off-season but it was a big one.  CB Dunta Robinson signed with the Falcons and most considered him to be the best shutdown corner in free agency.  He fills a big need for the Falcons as their secondary was a sieve last season.  Hopefully the Falcons will be more active on draft day and next week in free agency.