Dirty Birds Dispatch: Pre-draft legal developments
It’s draft day, folks.
Around Atlanta, Round 1 figures to be just like that Kevin Costner movie: pretty boring and ultimately disappointing, even though you kinda expected as much going in.
But there’s still plenty to talk about — including a rather significant development in James Pearce Jr.’s legal case.
Let’s get to it.
WHAT DO FALCONS DO?
Well, they rise up.
Probably best not to expect any of that Thursday night, though.
Standing pat — or, gasp, trading back — would be a definite departure from the previous Atlanta administration. But it’s clearly how new general manager Ian Cunningham aims to operate.
“We’re comfortable sitting and waiting,” he told reporters earlier this week.
As our amigo Ken Sugiura recently wrote, now-former Falcons GM Terry Fontenot traded up in four of his five drafts. Last year’s pair of trades landed Atlanta Pearce and safety Xavier Watts — and the measly five picks with which it enters this week’s draft.
Cunningham’s resume in assistant-type roles with Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago points to a very different approach. (Ken offers some interesting proof here.)
🤔 But what, exactly, is in the offing the next few days?
This entire draft is setting up to be a chaotic one, with multiple first-round trades predicted by folks who think they know these things. That makes it hard to predict what may fall all the way to the Falcons at No. 48, if they choose to stay there.
Very much not a betting man, but if I were I’d wager the Falcons reinforce the receiving corps with that first pick — and then start stockpiling later round selections by trading back.
Perhaps repeatedly.
- A receiver selection would make sense. There’s depth there and the current roster basically consists of Drake London, diminutive old friend Olamide Zaccheaus and inconsistent field stretcher Jahan Dotson.
- Cornerback is another good possibility, with decent options likely available outside the first round.
🤔 A wrinkle to consider: Would Atlanta really trade franchised-tagged tight end Kyle Pitts for picks? Given the status of the franchise (“kinda contending in football’s worst division with a million holes in the roster”), feels like it’d be a pretty shrewd move.
Our columnist friend Michael Cunningham pointed out as much this week.
A pie-in-the-sky return for Pitts would involve another second-rounder, but you’d probably be looking at a combo of later picks.
All off this, of course, is just shy of pure conjecture. Better to let it play out and completely overreact afterward.
Keep it locked to AJC.com/falcons for all the latest.
ATLANTA’S CURRENT PICKS
For the record, here’s a full list of the Falcons’ picks … as of early Thursday afternoon.
- Round 2, Pick 48
- Round 3, Pick 79
- Round 4, Pick 122
- Round 6, Pick 215
- Round 7, Pick 231
ABOUT JAMES PEARCE JR.
In February, Miami-area police arrested the Falcons sack leader after he allegedly stalked his ex-girlfriend, rammed her car multiple times and tried to run from police.
The resulting felony charges may now be dropped in a matter of months.
Pearce’s attorneys announced Thursday he’d entered a six-month pretrial diversion program that would do just that, provided he complies with the conditions and stays out of trouble.
More details here — and remember that the people (especially Pearce’s ex, WNBA player Rickea Jackson) are the important part to consider.
But for what it’s worth, the timing of all this is probably not coincidental:
- Six months from now would land around Oct. 23.
- Oct. 23 falls between weeks 6 and 7 of the upcoming NFL season — pending bye weeks, etc.
- The league has not yet acted to discipline Pearce, but it can regardless of the state of his legal case.
- The baseline suspension for first-time domestic violence offenders? Six weeks.
RIVAL WATCH, DRAFT EDITION
After my latest journey through Mock Draft World, figured it was time to take a closer look at who Atlanta’s NFC South foes may wind up with in the first round.
We also threw in the Rams, who own what would’ve been the Falcons’ pick.
Try not to get nauseous.
⚜️ The Saints, No. 8: New Orleans gifting young quarterback Tyler Shough a toy like Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate would be … less than ideal. The prospect of it pairing Miami edge rusher Reuben Bain (or teammate Akheem Mesidor) with Chase Young ain’t pretty either.
🐏 The Rams, No. 13: Wide receiver or offensive tackle seems to be the consensus here … and receiver-hungry Falcons fans will certainly lose sleep if L.A. ends up with USC’s Makai Lemon or Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.
🏴☠️ The Buccaneers, No. 15: Whoa whoa whoa … you’re telling me they could replace stalwart Mike Evans (now a 49er) with freakish Oregon tight end/receiver Kenyon Sadiq? Yeesh.
😾 The Panthers, No. 19: The experts suggest a safety selection may be afoot, which would actually be preferable to giving QB Bryce Young another weapon. Caleb Downs (more on him below) will be gone, so they’re likely looking at Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman or a guy from Toledo who’s been dubbed an “absolute dude” by draftnik Todd McShay.
THE OTHER LOCAL ANGLES
The aforementioned Caleb Downs — Mill Creek High, Buford High, Alabama and Ohio State star — should be the first player with any sort of Georgia connection selected in the draft.
Still plenty of local flavor after he’s picked somewhere in the neighborhood of No. 7 or No. 8, though.
- UGA offensive lineman Monroe Freeling and his primo combine performance are generally mocking somewhere in the low- to mid-teens.
- Georgia Tech O-lineman Keylan Rutledge might follow him as a late first-rounder.
Other local guys toeing that first-round fringe range from cornerbacks Avieon Terrell (Westlake/Clemson/brother of the Falcons’ AJ Terrell) and Colton Hood (Eagle’s Landing/Tennessee) to defenders CJ Allen (Lamar County/UGA) and Kayden McDonald (North Gwinnett/Ohio State).
Throw Westlake High and Missouri edge rusher Zion Young in there, too — and keep an eye on UGA’s Zachariah Branch.
I personally tend to doubt his being arrested for *checks notes* standing on a sidewalk will much impact his perception among NFL teams, but he was more of a Day 2 guy to begin with.
🔗 More details in the links:
INTERESTING NATIONAL TYPE STUFF
📶 Draft host Pittsburgh is expecting at least half a million people to show up in person to watch people say names into a microphone every eight minutes or so, while city schools are shifting to online classes to avoid the crowds. Wild stuff.
1️⃣ No signs of the Raiders wavering on taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (who’s not attending the draft in person) with the No. 1 overall pick. Mendoza recently called Kirk Cousins, his would-be backup in Vegas, “a great leader of men.”
🔀 ESPN’s Peter Schrager predicts four total trades in the first round — including the Rams sending that former Falcons pick to Detroit so the Lions can snag Alabama lineman Kadyn Proctor.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
From first-round pick to president of football. (And thank goodness they didn’t take Glenn Dorsey.)
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of the Dirty Birds Dispatch. Check out the Win Column newsletter for more Atlanta sports goodness.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
