2014 NFL mock draft: Morgan Moses to Atlanta Falcons at No. 37

In March of 2013, the Atlanta Falcons re-signed left tackle Sam Baker to a six-year, $41 million deal with $14.5 million guaranteed. As Baker enters the second year of that deal, he is coming off of a season-ending knee injury in November amidst chatter that, if the Falcons add a quality tackle prospect early in the 2014 NFL Draft, he could move to right tackle.

Dave Choate of The Falcoholic believes he has found that left tackle prospect with his second-round pick in the SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft.

”The tackle class thins out quickly after the top few, so I’d sprint my selection of Moses in at No. 37, even if I might need oxygen afterwards.

Simply put, Moses is the best tackle remaining. His pass protection ability is arguably ahead of any of the options left, he’s got an ideal frame and he strikes me as a sort of Diet Ryan Clady. That means weight concerns and run blocking questions, but if he can address those, I don’t see any reason why he can’t be a quality starting left tackle at the NFL level, and that’s a major need for these Atlanta Falcons.”

We have a higher grade on Tennessee offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, but the feeling seems to be that teams may have Moses rated higher. Basically, it’s an arguable point whether or not there is that much of a drop-off at the position after Moses in this scenario. Regardless, offensive tackle here is the smart play for Atlanta. Value, a lot of times, is relative to needs. When you have a franchise quarterback like Matt Ryan and need to protect him better, offensive tackle looks to be Atlanta’s biggest need in the draft. To get a starter like Moses in the second round makes this a nice choice.