The 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft rolls on, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Dave the Falconer, lead blogger at SB Nation's Atlanta Falcons blog, The Falcoholic, checks in to make the No. 19 overall selection in this year's mock. Take it away, sir!
2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 19
With the No. 19 overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the Atlanta Falcons have selected Sean Weatherspoon, outside linebacker, Missouri.
Dave the Falconer says: In recent years, the Atlanta Falcons have a track record of drafting based on need. Matt Ryan was the answer when they needed a quarterback, and Peria Jerry was last year’s answer when the team had only one starting caliber tackle inside on their 4-3 defense. This year, there’s one glaring defensive need that has to be addressed, and that’s the outside linebacker position currently occupied by the creaky and ineffective Mike Peterson.
The solution? Sean Weatherspoon. He’s athletic, a punishing tackler, an excellent overall football player and a guy who comes pre-packaged with swagger. Weatherspoon is already beloved by The Falcoholic faithful—who definitely would’ve burned my house to the ground if I hadn’t selected him here—and he’d be an instant upgrade against both the pass and the run for the Falcons. Beyond that, he’ll provide more help for Curtis Lofton, already a Pro Bowl-caliber player in his own right, and will give offensive coordinators someone else to worry about as the team attempts to shore up a pass rush that could always stand to improve.
I’m also a big fan of Jerry Hughes—I don’t believe he’s doomed to be a 3-4 linebacker—and in this deep of a draft, there will be plenty of value at 19. I just don’t think you’ll find anyone appreciably better than Weatherspoon, and there’s nobody who is ready to contribute more to the Falcons right away than him. I, for one, welcome our new linebacker overlord.
Mocking Dan reacts: Leading up to the draft, some picks seem destined to happen. Last year it was Peria Jerry going to the Falcons. Atlanta again appears to have the obvious pick later in the first round. The team has been tied to Weatherspoon since the combine. The reason is because it’s such a great fit.
Weatherspoon is the kind of energetic spark plug that would make Atlanta’s other linebackers better. He’d fit great in the team’s scheme.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Dez Bryant/WR/Oklahoma State, 2 - Everson Griffen/DE/USC, 3 - Jermaine Gresham/TE/Oklahoma, 4 - Anthony Davis/OT/Rutgers, 5 - Sergio Kindle/OLB/Texas
Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of Atlanta’s pick of Weatherspoon? Please be sure to check out The Falcoholic for all of your Falcons needs.
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