According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Falcons have Buffalo LB Khalil Mack rated higher than UCLA LB Anthony Barr on their draft board.
It’s hard to put a lot of stock in reports regarding team’s draft boards at this point in the year, but it’s an interesting note nonetheless.
Both Mack and Barr have long been regarded as two of the best linebackers in the 2014 draft class and virtual locks to be taken in the top-half of the first round.
With the No. 6 pick in the draft, it seems very likely that both players will be available to the Falcons by the time they are on the clock. Although, you could make a strong case for them taking one of the top offensive tackles like Greg Robinson or Jake Matthews over an edge player like Mack or Barr, but that’s by no means a guarantee at this point in time process.
However, Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff mentioned yesterday that Atlanta is “open for business” in regards to their sixth pick, and didn’t rule out trading up or down in the draft.
Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com referred to the Falcons as the “most logical potential trade partner” for the Rams No. 2 overall pick on Monday.
The two mirrored each other in the 40-yard dash with Mack ‘s forty time of 4.65 scoring incrementally better than Barr’s 4.66. Where Mack separated himself was his 23 bench reps, as compared to Barr’s 15, although Barr was able to best Mack in the three-cone drill with a 6.82 time, while Mack posted a time of 7.08.
We have Atlanta selecting Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews in our more recent 2014 NFL Mock Draft.
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