The Atlanta Falcons hold the number four overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft while the Tennessee Titans are picking 22nd.
On Thursday, Mel Kiper Jr. released his third mock draft of the NFL off-season and this one continued to include trades that he believes will either happen or should happen.
Last time, he saw the Atlanta Falcons making a move up the draft board to grab BYU quarterback Zach Wilson but this time around he sees Atlanta staying put at four but still taking a signal-caller, this time it’s North Dakota State’s, Trey Lance.
Lance hasn’t played consistently since 2019 because the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 fall season for the Bison. However, he was exceptional when he did get the opportunity to play in ’19 passing for 2,786 yards while completing 67% of his passes, throwing 28 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
With Matt Ryan still under contract, this pick would signal that the organization is hoping that Lance can take over when the team is ready to rebuild and move on from their long-time franchise QB.
The pick would be a bit risky but it’s sort of like investing in a sock that you hope will pay off in the long run.
Now, for the Titans Kiper had them looking towards the defensive side at No. 22 in his previous Mock Draft with Miami’s DE Jaelan Phillips. This time around he’s still sticking in the state of Florida but he’s targeting an offensive player for them and a dynamic one at that with Gators WR Kadarius Toney.
(Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images)
The team just added receiver Josh Reynolds from the LA Rams but Toney would be a big boost from the slot and in the return game for Tennessee. In 2020, he had a breakout senior season as the teams leading receiver for an explosive offense by hauling in 70 catches for 984 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Additionally, he added another 155 yards on seven kick returns and another 139 on 11 punts returns with a score.
Toney would be a great replacement within this offense who just lost Corey Davis on the outside and Adam Humphries on the inside as the slot receiver.