The 2020 NFL Draft is just over a week away and teams – sometimes intentionally to create smokescreens or unintentionally because of unauthorized leaks – will begin to let secrets slip. Most recently, the reports coming out of Atlanta suggest that the Falcons are interested in moving up in the draft to select an SEC defender, with the likes of South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw and Florida CB C.J. Henderson being named as potential targets.
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Varied reports on who the Falcons may target
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Falcons are interested in selecting higher than the number 16 overall selection, with Henderson as a possible target. He explained why in a segment on NFL Network earlier today.
But although Henderson would fit a need, PFN Insider Benjamin Allbright has heard the team might have someone else in mind. According to a source he spoke with, some teams believe that the Falcons will look to move up to select South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Source i talked to believed they want to move to 11 or 10 for Kinlaw. https://t.co/OCfEnf9U6u
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 15, 2020
How does Kinlaw fit in with the Falcons?
Kinlaw excelled in his final season with the Gamecocks, earning first-team Associated Press All-America and first-team All-SEC honors. He finished with 35 tackles, six tackles for losses, six sacks, and two fumble recoveries. For his career at South Carolina, Kinlaw tallied 82 total tackles, 17 tackles for losses, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles.
But it was during his trip to the Senior Bowl that the 6-foot-6, 220-pound defender began to see his draft stock rise into top-15 status.
“I personally think stats aren’t anything,” Kinlaw said at the Senior Bowl. “If you just go sit down and watch that tape, it’ll speak for me.”
And if the rumor of teams thinking that Kinlaw could be the target is correct, the Falcons apparently agree with Kinlaw’s tape. According to another source close to PFN, it makes sense that Atlanta would like to bolster their interior pass rush with a defender like Kinlaw to pair with Grady Jarrett, who signed a four-year $68 million extension last offseason.
“It’s pretty much just a situation where they have Tyeler Davison who is in there to defend against the run but there’s not really that guy to generate interior pressure alongside Grady Jarrett,” the source said. “Jack Crawford did a lot of it last year and he’s gone. He was decent but not spectacular. There were rumors that the team really wanted Ed Oliver last year to fill that role but that didn’t happen.”
Related | Javon Kinlaw: The first-round fanatic at the Senior Bowl
When it comes to Kinlaw, PFN Draft Analyst Tony Pauline has him ranked as the 17th player on his big board. Although Pauline credits his ability to be a three-down defender in the trenches, there are concerns about his hand usage and ability to shed blocks.
“Kinlaw displayed terrific development in both his game and his conditioning the past two seasons,” Pauline writes in his scouting report. “He comes with upside, possesses scheme versatility and, if coached properly, offers big-time potential the next level.”
Who else might be interested in Kinlaw?
Several mock drafts have the former South Carolina tackle traveling just north to the Queen City with the seventh overall pick. The Panthers also have needs at defensive tackle following the departures of Vernon Butler, Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe.
As such, the Panthers have also been linked to the Auburn’s Derrick Brown as a player worth selecting early. Brown finished his final season in the plains with 54 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for losses, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He currently is listed as Pauline’s number two prospect and top defensive tackle.
That’s why both Rapoport and Allbright could be right with the Falcons looking to move up. With the Las Vegas Raiders interested in Henderson, and Kinlaw’s floor expected to be at number 13 with the San Francisco 49ers or at 15 with the Denver Broncos, Atlanta would need to trade up in order to secure one of their rumored targets.
Depending on who the trading partner is, the team might be forced to give up as high as a 2021 first-round selection as the starting price. As to who those teams might be, one could speculate that the Arizona Cardinals or Jacksonville Jaguars would likely be the trading partner for Atlanta come draft night.
For more news and rumors, make sure to follow Ben on Twitter: @AllbrightNFL along with Cole Thompson @MrColeThompson and Pro Football Network: @PFN365.
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