Atlanta Falcons 2016 Draft: Roundtable mock draft third round

Atlanta Falcons News: Takeaways from Dan Quinn pre-draft presser by Freddie Boston

The much anticipated Super Bowl commercials have been seen, and the much more anticipated actual Super Bowl game has been played. Free agency has churned the rumor mill; the tier one free agents have signed, as have the those in tiers two, three, and four. The ides of March have come and gone. Pollen has invaded, and decreased with time.

Now, it's almost time for one of the most anticipated events on the NFL calendar: the NFL Draft. The national football league truly is a year round sport, with the draft being its offseason centerpiece.

The writers here at Blogging Dirty are giddy with excitement at the prospects of seeing who the newest Atlanta Falcons will be, coming out of college. So what better way to celebrate the festivities than to deliver our concise predictions as to what the selections will be?

The team can go in all sorts of different directions. Pass rush can still be improved, there's a pressing need at the linebacker position, safety is still a concern, even getting a guard somewhere along the way could be an option.

This is the second year where the writers here at Blogging Dirty are doing a mock draft, here is where you can link back to last year's mock: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, Round 6, and Round 7.

The rules of this mock are simple: the writer will select the player he would take if he were in the Falcons' general manager; his selection must be a player whom he thinks will realistically be available at the time of Atlanta's pick. To keep this mock draft from getting too convoluted, we'll assume that the Falcons won't make any trades. Let's begin!

You can find our first round mock draft here, and our second round mock draft here. After nobody seemed to agree on who the first round selection would be, Florida's Safety Keanu Neal was the selection for three of the eight writers in round 2. USC's Su'a Cravens got the nod from two writers.

Atlanta Falcons' recent third round selections: 2010 – DT Corey Peters, OG Mike Johnson; 2011 – LB Akeem Dent; 2012 – OT Lamar Holmes; 2013 – none; 2014 – S Dezmond Southward; 2015 – RB Tevin Coleman.

Kevin Knight

Previous Selections: Round 1 – DT Sheldon Rankins; Round 2 – SS Keanu Neal

81 Deion Jones LB, LSU

Another player that could be gone before the Falcons pick but still has a pretty good chance of being there, Deion Jones is an incredibly fast LB prospect. He's adept in coverage on TEs and slot receivers and has the range NFL teams covet from a WILL LB.

There are concerns about Jones' tackling ability and overall lack of size, which may limit him to a nickel package coverage LB early in his career. But with the success of other smallish LBs like Deone Bucannon, Jones could turn into a force on Quinn's defense.

Jones is essentially a smaller, faster version of Darron Lee. In my opinion, Jones is a much better value here than taking Lee at pick 17.

Adnan Ikic

Previous Selections: Round 1 – LB Reggie Ragland; Round 2 – SS Keanu Neal

81 Deion Jones LB, LSU

In the press conference announcing him as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons last year, Dan Quinn used the words "fast and physical" as his mantra, and it's stuck. One half of that equation, the "fast" part, is speed.

The first thing I think of when I think Deion Jones out of LSU is "speed." Jones ran a 4.38 40 time at the combine, which is incredible for a linebacker. He's fast enough and athletic enough to give Atlanta something it hasn't had in years: a linebacker who actually excels in coverage. Jones can cover the opposing tight end, and is fast enough to cover wide receivers, as well.

While I already have the Falcons taking Reggie Ragland to anchor the front 7, this team is obviously in need of more than just one linebacker. While Ragland anchors the inside of the LB corps, Jones can take over an OLB role: Where his speed could also make him dangerous on delayed blitzes.

Eric Robinson

Previous Selections: Round 1 – DE Emmanuel Ogbah; Round 2 – SS Keanu Neal

81 Deion Jones LB, LSU

An underrated, athletic specimen that will be a clear upgrade for a Falcons linebacker unit that needs it. Jones is undersized but brings exceptional speed, physicality, and playmaking ability. A 3-down linebacker with instincts and a ceiling that has yet to be reached.

Curtis Hobbs

Previous Selections: Round 1 – DE Joey Bosa; Round 2 – DE Kevin Dodd

81 Jerell Adams TE, South Carolina

Going into the third round, I continue to expect the Falcons to shore up their weaknesses. And with the recent additions of Mohammed Sanu, the questions at tight end must be answered quickly; therefore, expect to see Atlanta looking there in the third.With the premier prospects off the board at this time, there is not going to be a selection that will cause dancing in the streets but this is where the quality is found. It is that quality that they will find in Jerell Adams out of South Carolina.

Adams did not have the most impressive college career, but as a tight end behind Rory Anderson, it was hard to find the field, and once he did, one of the worst quarterback situations in the SEC greeted him.

Adams has the tools that he showed at the combine with having the fastest 40 time, so this could be a book or bust pick, but he has the abilities to become a tight end that could blossom into Julian Thomas type. At the end of it all, this is a gamble but one worth taking.

Chandler Stewart

Previous Selections: Round 1 – LB Darron Lee; Round 2 – FS Darian Thompson

81 Adolphus Washington DT, Ohio State

I'm sticking with defense again in Round 3 and taking an athletic and powerful defensive tackle in Washington. Atlanta has lacked pressure up in the middle in the years since Babineaux was in his prime, and that again has led to a lackluster pass rush. Washington is a big man, weighing in at over 300 pounds but he also possesses the ability to get pressure on the quarterback, getting 13.5 sacks over the course of his career.

By adding Washington in the third round we have a guy that can be added to the defensive line rotation right away, and it helps us get bigger up front, something we clearly need. Washington is agile enough to be an every down player, and big enough to be a hole clogger. I think by snagging him in the third round, we may find yet another defensive contributor at a bargain.

Colin Hubbard

Previous Selections: Round 1 – DE Shaq Lawson; Round 2 – LB/S Su'a Cravens

81 Deion Jones LB, LSU

With the first two picks I selected the defensive end, and the safety; so now it's time to select an outside linebacker.

The Falcons have a big hole to fill out the weak side linebacker position and Jones would fit that mold perfectly in the third round. He has the size and speed that the Falcons are looking for any makes perfect sense if still available when we are on the clock. The Falcons are looking to get at least three starters out of this draft and if the they select Jones in the third round they just might get their guy that they want. Jones may not be the best available player remaining when we are on the clock but he would be the smartest pick.

Freddie Boston

Previous Selections: Round 1 – DE Noah Spence; Round 2 – LB Deion Jones

81 Jeremy Cash S, Duke

Dan Quinn has spoken time and again about adding a 'fast and physical' style on both sides of the ball. Jeremy Cash offers that physicality. Cash would help fill the need at safety and could easily be the best player still available at #81. His immediate support would come against the run: Cash has great instincts and would slot in as an effective in the box safety. Cash can blitz effectively and would add plenty of physicality to an Atlanta defense in need of upgrades across the board.

Righteous Chester

Previous Selections: Round 1 – DE Shaq Lawson; Round 2 – LB/S Su'a Cravens

81 Cardale Jones QB, Ohio State

The Falcons have been known to have an off the radar pick in the past few drafts and this year Round 3 is the perfect opportunity to send a message to the team. This team will have competition at every position and Matt Ryan needs someone to boost up the competition at the QB position and in walks Cardale Jones. Jones is well known for being the 3rd string QB that stepped in and led Ohio State to a championship in 2015, he showed a tremendous amount of poise and leadership while doing so. The young man has one of the strongest arms I have ever seen and compares mostly to Ben Roethlisberger. This pick will be a head scratcher for a lot of Falcons fans but it may be a reality check for Ryan that everyone must play at a high level.

Stay tuned, as the writers will deliver their fourth round selections, in the coming days.

Source: Atlanta Falcons 2016 Draft: Roundtable mock draft third round