Alabama Football: 2021 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 with trades

Atlanta boosts the offensive line, passes on QB

4. Atlanta Falcons: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

This is probably going to upset some Falcons fans, but hear me out. Atlanta isn’t a quarterback away from solving all of their problems. In fact, Matt Ryan is one of the best players on the roster. Instead, they get a sure thing in Penei Sewell, the best player in this class not named Trevor Lawrence.

The Falcons need a lot of help, but one place where they need to get younger and better is the offensive line. Adding Sewell will make the rest of their offense easier.

In my last mock draft, I had the Falcons taking Justin Fields. They could still do this, but I could see them riding it out with Matt Ryan for now and adding a veteran quarterback down the road. It’s true that Atlanta won’t likely be drafting this early any time soon, but the roster is built to win. Unless they want to trade Alabama football’s Julio Jones and other veterans, they need to rely on the experience they have.

With the salary cap shrinking, Matt Ryan’s contract becomes tough to handle. He’s too expensive to bench, and there is no guarantee that they can find a trade for him.

Atlanta needs a quarterback of the future, but the value with Sewell makes this an interesting debate. A quarterback wouldn’t shock me, but the Falcons will have a tough decision to make.