Pound for Pound: Draft time

Published 10:30 am Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Time to put on my general manager hat.

It’s NFL Draft week, where – in the name of competitive balance – the losers pick first and the winners pick last. We all know which column the Atlanta Falcons belong in even though they’re almost right in the middle at pick No. 15 in Thursday’s first round.

Let’s start with that poor Falcons franchise in this year’s pre-draft thoughts. What will Arthur Blank & Co. do to enrage the fanbase in 2025? Two years ago the team upset the significant overlap that exists between Falcons and University of Georgia football fans in selecting Texas running back Bijan Robinson instead of game-breaking UGA defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Carter had slipped further than expected, setting Atlanta up to shift the narrative that it never picks former Bulldogs. The organization chose Robinson instead.

Not to say he’s been a bust. He’s worked out nicely, but evidence has shown Carter would have been worth it too. And picking him would have taken the legs out from under the UGA-spurning narrative, for a while at least.

In last year’s draft the Falcons had the biggest head scratcher when they chose Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Remember, Atlanta had just signed an aging Kirk Cousins to a huge contract. The franchise sent mixed signals with the Penix selection, and Cousins eventually getting benched in no way made the Penix pick justified. The Falcons had to part with too much money for that to be the case.

Can’t wait to see what Atlanta has in store for this year. Needs include a stronger pass rush and better corner play.

Speaking of quarterbacks, not a good year to be in the market for a signal-caller. Miami’s Cam Ward, who’s still having to answer for not playing the second half of the Hurricanes’ bowl game loss, is regarded as the top option at the position. Second is Shedeur Sanders – who’s set to have his jersey retired by Colorado? The Sanders thing is a whole column by itself, but I’ll keep it short since I’m focusing on the draft.

The son of Coach Prime was only in Boulder two years. While he did break records, the team was just 13-12 during his tenure. Hardly jersey retirement worthy, in my opinion. For what it’s worth, I think Sanders is a decent NFL prospect. I don’t have him as a franchise carrier, but I believe he can do the job with a good supporting cast.

Heaven knows the critics are going to be harsher than he deserves because of who his father is. Hopefully Shedeur can get past that and forge his own path.

In keeping with the QB theme, let’s look at Jalen Milroe. My draft prep reading tells me he’s around the fourth best at his position – behind Ward, Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart – and could go as early as the second round. Too high on both counts.

The two-year Alabama starter got worse as his time in Tuscaloosa wore on, throwing 11 interceptions this past season. If your NFL playbook is to snap it to the quarterback and just let him make something happen, Milroe’s your guy. No one has that playbook, by the way. Teams need things like timing and rhythm from their QBs, neither of which is a Milroe strong suit.

Picking him is a pick thrown out the window.

No, this Georgia-fan sports writer is not still bitter that Milroe beat his team twice. What makes you say that?