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Florida. Caleb Brantley. 31. player. 44. . Defensive Tackle
For years the defense has been what held the Falcons back from succeeding. Look at the Super Bowl this past year. Yes, the offense could have done more to control the ball, but the defense still allowed all those points in a short period of time to the New England Patriots. If the Falcons want to recover from that loss they need to start rebuilding their defense and it begins in the draft.
Brantley is a strong defender against the run and is no slouch when it comes to getting after the quarterback. Pro Football Focus said that he recorded at least 23 pressures and 23 run stops in each of the past two seasons.
His combination of quickness and power should translate to success at either nose tackle or three-technique in the NFL. There are some questions as to whether Brantley can provide production over the course of a whole season, so mixing him in as a rotational player at the start makes sense.
The Falcons have solid depth in the interior with Grady Jarrett, Ra’Shede Hageman, and Dontari Poe. Adding Brantley would give the Falcons a long-term building block on the line as Hageman and Poe could both leave as free agents next offseason.