POD Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 24

Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 24 Clay Matthews LB Southern Cal General Manager: MatthewDC

With the 24h pick of the 2009 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Southern Cal linebacker Clay Matthews.

Here is MatthewDC's reasoning for the pick:

The Atlanta Falcons had a great turn around year last year. With the addition of Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, and "Burner" Turner, the Falcons offense went from being devastated with the loss of Michael Vick, to having the Rookie of the Year in the Playoffs, and one of the top 2 RB's in the league. This year they need to focus on cleaning up their defense. I believe the two biggest areas of need on the defense are OLB and DT. The Falcons may need both OLB positions upgraded before they are completely satisfied with their LB corps. It was a tough decision and came down to either Clay Matthews, Clint Sintim, or Ziggy Hood. I was very close to choosing Hood, but I believe they can find a solid DT in the 3rd-round. The Falcons are lucky to have Clay Matthews fall to the 24th pick. He is versatile (he can play all 3 LB positions), he has exceptional quickness, and has very little downside in my opinion. The alleged steroid use has been disputed by everyone involved and I believe it was a false claim. He has never officially tested positive for steroids, so I have chosen to disregard these claims in making this pick. This should be a huge upgrade for the Falcons and fill one of their greatest positions of need on their defense.