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I thought this was the most obvious lock it up pick for Ballard. Polianesque pick. if he was available at 15 he was taking him. I actually thought he would go top 10. steal of the draft

Paye hasnt even had a year 4 yet. His first 3 years are WAY better than Hendricksons first 3 years.

If we can somehow trade up and get dejean I will never complain about Ballard again ( at least for awhile anyways) lol. I really want dejean. I really like the way he plays. If not him, I guess go for the best WR or CB available.

Latu is an absolute beast. Indy is going to love him.

McConkey has knee issues that will probably remove him from the Colts board there.

I just knew there was going to be a run on WRs later in the first. welp, hoping we trade up for either AD (character concerns and all) or Troy Franklin. there is no way we can leave this draft not drafting some type of burner in this deep WR draft. Welp, can’t be too mad. We can’t pick ‘em all and I’m ok with who we picked.

I haven't paid much attention to the draft and looking OR making mocks 'cause with Ballard you usually will be disappointed...... like most on this Forum are tonight. Lol But I wasn't surprised by a defensive linemen being picked. I didn't think he would go CB or trade up for a elite receiver or Bowers would fall to 15. And honestly I know noting about Latu except a few highlights I seen switching from the draft and Yankee game. I liked the highlights but not crazy about the conference he played in and his medical history. I was hoping for Bowers but not surprised he's not a colt especially when Denver chose the last QB and the raiders were right behind them. I heard the raiders liked Bowers and with no QB left to possibly sway them I had a feeling they would grab him. We all know it was unlikely Ballard would trade up for him(even if he had him high on his board?) Kudos for the bears getting a great prospect, I hope they don't mess him up. And to the Patriots for getting imo the second best QB. The Falcons getting Pence for life after Cousins(which may be sooner than later) I think was a good move.

I mean, i kinda ma because in year 4 Trey had 13.5 sacks and probably way more pressures than paye has had in year 4. Paye has one more year to show he can be the pass rusher we need. and only reason why Trey was being compared to Paye is because someone else brought him. There is honestly no comparison when it comes to their year 4s

5 best remaining WR’s according to PFF WR ADONAI MITCHELL, TEXAS. Mitchell's fluidity and size make him a tough matchup for anyone, especially in the red zone. ... WR TROY FRANKLIN, OREGON. ... WR LADD MCCONKEY, GEORGIA. ... WR KEON COLEMAN, FLORIDA STATE. ... WR ROMAN WILSON, MICHIGAN.

Falcons probably drafted Penix because they liked him, more than most other players because of the importance of QB position as well. Note that They didn't draft JJ McCarthy so it shows Falcons staff definitely had their preference, inclination and liking to his QB play more than anyone else. I think the thumb rule is if a team likes a QB very much, there are chances it won't happen again sooner in future, and even if they like few QBs in near future they may not be in position to draft the players they love. So, general rule is always draft a QB if you like and when you can - same with Lions last year, and I hope Vikings did the same this draft.

@Happy2BeHere this NFL website page shows all the trades before and during the NFL draft this off-season, and you can bookmark it to visit again whenever a draft day trade happens in next 2 days. It takes around 10-15 minutes for the details to be reflected, so don't expect full information when the team involved in trade are immediately on the clock. https://www.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-draft-trade-tracker-full-details-on-every-draft-related-move-since-start-of-new-league-year

What is the WR room missing? YAC. The YAC King is still on the board too. Plenty of WR’s still.

Hope we can grab either DeJean , Mitchell or Franklin.

I’m pretty sure that most people would agree that if before the draft you were told you could draft ANY of the defensive players at #15 in this draft as if you were picking #1 overall we would take that deal…it’s pretty remarkable.

Latu: in 2022. He ranked first in the FBS in total pressures (55) and pressure percentage (19.1%), and his 10.5 sacks ranked ninth. He was just as good in 2023. During the regular season, he ranked first in pressure percentage (20.1%) and pressures (56) and was fourth in sacks (13). He had a midseason stretch of 5.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss over three games. More reason to believe this was an excellent pick.

Greg Cosell's scouting report on Latu: STRENGTHS: - Outstanding length and frame for an edge rusher with natural twitch and suddenness to his movement. Explosive. - Phenomenal quickness off the ball as pass rusher both outside and inside. Beats offensive linemen with sudden lateral twitch. - Uses featured club arm-over move as wide-9 rusher to beat offensive tackles inside. Has balance to change direction and redirect. - Flashes effective inside spin move off initial high side challenge. Has excellent balance, body control and burst. - Does a good job as an edge pass rusher initiating and playing off contact with effective hand usage. Has multiple moves. - Subtle hand usage is a foundation of his edge rush, along with lateral quickness to change direction and redirect. - Uses quick, violent hands to break down offensive tackle technique then play off contact to win on the high side with burst to the quarterback. - Body flexibility as an edge pass rusher allows him to bend the arc then flatten his rush path and close with speed to the quarterback. - In 2023, always seemed to have a plan as an edge pass rusher, which was evident in the way in which he used his hands. - Is a twitchy, sudden mover with both feet and hands and showed explosive power in his hands to displace offensive linemen. - Effective inside at defensive tackle in sub-fronts working against an offensive guard. Showed ability to win with both quickness and strength. - Has active hands in run game to defeat blocks with both quickness and power, staying on-balance to make plays. - Arm extension in the run game both controls the offensive line and keep his feet clean to defeat blocks and make plays. - Plays with heavy hands to jar and control offensive linemen off the snap. Created movement at line of scrimmage. Has a strong feel to his game. WEAKNESSES: - There were run game snaps where he could have played stronger taking on and displacing blocks — he got locked on. - It’s not truly a weakness, but the medicals will be closely evaluated. (He was medically retired at Washington.) BOTTOM LINE: "Latu is one of the best overall prospects in the 2024 draft class. You could easily make the argument that he's the best edge pass-rush prospect in the class. He possesses excellent size and length to play on the edge, and his pass-rush-traits profile is high level for a college player. He has a desirable combination of athleticism, explosiveness and advanced/refined hand usage with multiple moves in his arsenal."

.....and one snowboarding accident too.

With all the young gunslingers in our division you may be pretty happy with the Latu pick if he’s planting them in the ground! IMO we need a boost at Edge. Paye just hasn’t lived up to expectations.

Bills are gonna draft, with first draft pick of day 2, either McConkey or Mitchell. Maybe, they'll surprise and pick another WR but past few draft selections show that different teams have different WRs at the top order of their draft board.

Dane Brugler's profile on Latu in his draft guide: 3. LAIATU LATU | UCLA 6046 | 259 lbs. | 5SR Sacramento, Calif. (Jesuit) 12/31/2000 (age 23.32) #15 BACKGROUND: Laiatu (lay-AH-too) Latu (LAH-too), the oldest of four children (two boys and two girls), grew up in Sacramento. He was a do-everything athlete throughout childhood, playing baseball, basketball, football, soccer and rugby. Latu enrolled at Jesuit High School, a privat e Catholic school in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael and played on the JV team as a 150-pound freshman. After adding weight and moving up to varsity as a sophomore, he flourished as a pass-rushing linebacker in the team’s 3-4 scheme. As a junior, Latu posted 65 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, leading the program to 10 wins and earning first team AllMetro honors. As a seniorin 2018, he recorded 94 tackles and 29.5 tackles for loss to earn first team All-State and All-League. Latu finished his varsity career with 178 tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss and 27 sacks, adding 356 receiving yards as a tight end and 476 punting yards on special teams. Latu also lettered in rugby (his main love) and led the program to national championships in 2017 and 2019. He considered playing professional rugby overseas after high school. A four-star recruit, Latu was the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 20 recruit in California (No. 3 pass rusher in the state behind 2022 draft picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Drake Jackson). He started getting noticed as a recruit during his junior year and picked up his first offer (Oregon State). Latu later added offers from Alabama, Notre Dame and Tennessee, but he wanted to stay on the West Coast. He had a final five of Ca l, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington and signed with the Huskies in December 2018. Latu was the No. 3 recruit in Washington’s 2019 class behind Puka Nacua and Trent McDuffie. After playing a reserve role as a true freshman, he suffered a serious neck injury during practice before the 2020 season and was forced to medically retire in the spring of 2021. He stayed close to the Huskies program as a student assistant during the 2021 season, and a year after his injury, he saw a specialist (the same doctor who performed Peyton Manning’s neck surgery) and was medically cleared. He played rugby during his rehab and was offered a contract by the professional Seattle Seawolves rugby team, but he didn’t want to give up on his football dream. Looking for a fresh start, he entered the transfer portal in November 2021. Ikaika Malloe, whom Latu considers a “father figu re,” was his position coach at Washington and left for the UCLA coaching staff in December 2021. Malloe recommended Latu to coach Chip Kelly,and Latu joined the Bruins in January 2022. In April 2022, Latu was officially cleared and put the pads back on that summer for the first time in almost two years. His younger brother (Keleki) played tight end at California (2021-22) before transferring to Nevada for the 2023 season. Latu opted out of the 2023 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl. STRENGTHS: Crafty, punctual pass rusher … owns a master’s degree in cross-chop maneuvers (his go-to move is a Euro chop) … fast, strong hands for effective armovers, ghost moves and quick sheds … bursts off the snap with body flexibility to corner at the top of rush … hits the turbo button after clearing the outside shoulder ofthe blocker … uses a filthy jab step to shorten the edge and displays an innate feel for creating rush angles … plays with a ton of energy and feet are never stagnant … stays balanced through contact and is accustomed to seeing extra attention … quick eyes/reads lead to line-of-scrimmage stops in the run game … always rallying to the football and pursing to the perimeter … rugby (his favorite sport) developed his toughness and aggression on the football field (turned down a professional rugby career in the Premiership in England) … flagged only once in 2023 (offsides) … heads-up player when zone dropping to find passing lanes … notched two interceptions in 2023, and NFL scouts say UCLA coaches believe he would have been their best tight end had they played him on offense … didn’t miss a game the past two seasons after his medical retirement in 2021 … highly determined and doesn’t waste an ounce of talent (Chip Kelly: “He works really hard at his craft.”) … productive college resume and led the team in sacks, tackles for loss and pressures in both of seasons at UCLA. WEAKNESSES: Below-average arm length by NFL standards … tends to play tall versus the run and needs to be more consistent controlling the point of attack … must better anticipate outside design to contain runs to his side … more of a hug-and-drag tackler and needs toclean up his misses (had at least one missed tackle in every 2023 tape studied) … injury history will be scrutinized by NFL teams after two-and-a-half years away from football — suffered a neck injury in practice (November 2020) that created numbness and required surgery; after consulting several specialists, Latu was forced to medically retire i n the spring of 2021, but he kept his dreams alive and transferred to UCLA (January 2022), where he was cleared before the 2022 season … started only one season in college (although he played starterlevel snaps in 2022). SUMMARY: A one-year starter at UCLA, Latu was an outside edge rusher in former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme, splitting his time standing up and rushing with his hand on the ground (was also schemed inside at times). Medically rejected at Washington, he was cleared by doctors after transferring to UCLA and was extremely productive over the past two seasons,with 129 total pressures in 25 games. After leading the FBS in tackles for loss in 2023, the consensus AllAmerican cleaned up on the awards circuit as a senior, taking home the Morris Trophy (best DL in Pac-12), Ted Hendricks Award (top DE in FBS) and Lombardi Award (top OL/DL in FBS). For pass rushers, there is a saying: “Beat the hands, beat the man.” Latu lives by this principle with the cohesive way he weaponizes his hands and feet to defeat blocks (led the FBS with a 24.6 percent passrush win percentage in 2023). As a run defender, his lack of ideal length and pop will show at times, but he made significant improvements with his read/react in this area as a senior. Overall, Latu’s medical history will play a major part in his draft grade, but he is a passrush technician with the instinctive feel and athletic bend to be an impactful “two-way go” rusher in the NFL. His play style and journey are reminiscent of Miami Dolphins 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips. GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (No. 22 overall)

You never know.

Good call

In the presser Ballard said they asked the doctors tons of questions and they saw no red flags so they weren’t worried about the medical.

1. Kirk didn't give any heads-up either that he was gonna reveal tampering of Falcons out in the worst place, introductory press conference! 2. I find funny how "Cousins camp" and his agent act as if their client is Tom Brady! They talked about him achieving Super Bowl success, hyping up Cousins, while bargaining with Jets and Minnesota when he came out of DC. 3. Also, it's funny that Cousins camp even want Falcons to utilize every draft pick for Cousins, and act like picking a rookie QB is somehow a problem. If he's that good, it's a problem only for Penix - like how everybody forgot about QB Hooker after Lions' last season. No one cares now if Hooker even recovered from ACL fully. So, Kirk - maybe, you make people forget that Penix is on the roster. But, I suspect Falcons made a necessary move, in case Kirk gets injured or doesn't make a big difference.

They cleaned house the need all the picks they can get.