The Falcoholic

● By Kevin Knight
After a long 2022 season filled with ups and downs, we’ve reached the 2023 NFL offseason at last. The Atlanta Falcons absorbed a league-high (and NFL record) $83.6M in dead cap this season in an effort to clean up the financial mess left by the previous regime. As a result, the team will go into 2023 with up to $73.65M in salary cap space—second-most in the NFL—and a full complement of draft picks. Speaking of those draft picks, it’s time for my second mock draft of the 2023 cycle and first with the Falcons’ final draft position. Atlanta will be picking eighth overall, which is a very familiar spot for this team. I’m still early in my scouting for this class, but at this stage, it’s likely the Falcons will have a lot of quality players to choose from at that spot. This will be my final four-round mock draft before transitioning into full seven-round mocks. I’m hoping to have access to a more advanced mock draft simulator in the next week or so, which will enable much more realistic mocks—particularly on Day 3. So stay tuned!