It’s the end of April and this only means one thing for sports fans. The NFL Draft is upon us and there really hasn’t been a time when there has been so much uncertainty about who will be the first pick, how many trades will be made, or which projected first-round pick will be left out in the cold.
Many Falcons fans have uncertainty about what their team is going to do on draft day. The Falcons have 11 draft picks including the No. 30 overall pick, two picks during the second day and eight picks on the final day.
So who will the Falcons draft? It’s hard to tell because when a team is picking at No. 30, they almost have to take the best player available instead of just a need. The Falcons have done a good job addressing some of the needs this offseason with the signing of running back Steven Jackson, defensive end Osi Umenyiora and linebacker Brian Banks. However, the Falcons need a couple of cornerbacks to add depth, another offensive tackle, a defensive lineman and a tight end. So general manager Thomas Dimitroff will have his work cut out for him during draft weekend.
But I’m not here to tell you who I think the Falcons should draft. Instead I’m going to tell you two things I know that are going to happen for the Falcons during draft weekend.
The first thing is that the Falcons will look for players that were leaders on and off the field. Since 2008 when Dimtroff and coach Mike Smith took over the franchise, 33 of the 38 draft picks were college seniors. And of those 33 players, 17 of them were voted team captains including Matt Ryan, Sam Baker and Thomas DeCoud.
The second thing is the Falcons will make a trade during the three days of the draft. Every year since 2008, Dimitroff has made a draft day trade and it won’t end this year. There is no way 11 draft picks will make the team and if Dimitroff sees a player he likes and is available, you better believe he will trade some picks to move up or down depending on the situation.
It will be an interesting draft for the Falcons but at the same time based on Dmitroff’s recent track record, it should be a successful draft as well.
BLAZING BRAVES …
Speaking of successful, the Braves are playing pretty good baseball as of late. Many experts thought that with the lineup the Braves would field every day, they would have a chance to win the NL East. But nobody thought they would win 12 of their first 13 games of the season.
The reason the Braves are hot is they are scoring runs with the long ball. Justin Upton leads all major leaguers with eight home runs and the team has hit 20 which is second best in the National League.
But the pitching, which has been the cornerstone for the franchise the last 20 years, has really separated the Braves from everyone else. The team ERA is a shade under two, which is the best in the Major Leagues. Paul Maholm has led the way with a 0.00 ERA and three wins. Tim Hudson, Kris Medlen and Mike Minor have also pitched well and the bullpen led by Eric O’Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel has been unhittable.
I know it’s early in the season and this hot streak will come to an end, but the Braves are sending a message to rest of the league and it looks like they have put the recent postseason disappointments behind them.
BOSTON TRAGEDY …
What happened during the Boston Marathon is hard to swallow. We have all seen the photos and videos of the victims, but we also saw the bravery of the first responders trying to get everyone to safety.
The Boston Marathon is one of the most popular marathons in the world and officials have confirmed the race will go on next year. Whoever was responsible for the bombings accomplished only one thing: hurting innocent people. However, that person or group of people did not break the spirit of America, and the city of Boston as well as the rest of the country will be stronger because of this tragedy.
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