With the 59th pick of Pride of Detroit's 2011 NFL Mock Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith. ATL Lion is serving as the Falcons' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.
Ok, so the Falcons' needs are as follows: DE/pass rush (John Abraham is in his last year and is about 100 years old), CB (Aaron Rodgers explained to them why they might want to upgrade their nickel corner), TE (TE is a big part of their game and Tony Gonzalez is already receiving AARP discounts) and WR (someone other than Roddy White). I grabbed a great OLB/DE in the first to aid in pass rush. In the second I first looked at CBs, but the next one on my list is Brandon Burton (Utah) and he would be a stretch for the second round. Next I looked at TEs, but after Kyle Rudolph there is a drop off in talent. So now I am looking for talent. Did anyone slip through the cracks and fall to me in the late second round? I see Rodney Hudson (OG) there. He is a talent, but he is more of a zone blocker and Atlanta gave up on that when Gibbs left. So let's look at WR. Torrey Smith (WR) Maryland seems to be left. Done.
Torrey Smith is big enough (6'1", 204 lbs.), fast enough (4.41) and a character guy -- which is important for the Falcons. He needs polish, but he can be the No. 2 or No. 3 guy for a couple years and learn his position. Also, his position will be a lot easier with White being double-teamed every play.
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Check out the 2011 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.