2011 NFL Draft: How Needy Are the Atlanta Falcons in the Secondary?

April 19, 2011   ·   Jon Gilbert   ·   Jump to comments

Atlanta Falcons Draft: Is safety important enough to address in middle rounds?

While practically every team in the NFL could use depth in the secondary, the Atlanta Falcons are pretty well set. Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson have the corner spots secured. Thomas DeCoud and William Moore are solid safeties.

That doesn’t mean that the Falcons shouldn’t try to improve the depth chart and/or look for improvements. Proactive drafting is what general manager Thomas Dimitroff did so well in New England and has done so well in Atlanta.

Yahoo! Sports reports that Clemson safety Marcus Gilchrist visited with the Falcons April 14. Gilchrist, at 5’9″, isn’t a towering presence in the secondary. But he was able to make an impact for the Tigers in the ACC last season.

With 62 tackles and 10 pass deflections in his senior season, Gilchrist received honorable mention conference honors. As a junior, he racked up 107 tackles. His 4.45-second 40-yard dash translates well to the NFL.

The Falcons would benefit from having a young, promising player waiting in the wings in case injury strikes.