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With the twenty-seventh pick in the 2011 BGN Mock Draft, Skulman7 selects...
Justin Houston - DE, Georgia
The Atlanta Falcons are a very good football team with not too many holes. However one glaring need for the Falcons is a pass rusher opposite of John Abraham. Last season, the Falcons recorded only 31 sacks during the regular season, 13 of those sacks belonged to Abraham. Also, I think it's pretty safe to say that after 5 seasons Jamaal Anderson is not going to become the dominant defensive end the Falcons had hoped for. Another concern should be the age of Abraham, who will be turning 33 in May.
Enter Georgia defensive end Justin Houston. Although this past season Georgia switched to a 3-4 and Houston played outside linebacker, before that he was a defensive end in the 4-3 scheme. This guy is a monster when it comes to the pass rush. He is explosive off the edge and has an incredible gift of getting in the backfield. With John Abraham often commanding to be double teamed, Justin Houston could make a significant contribution right away as a pass rush specialist and eventually an all around defensive end. Justin Houston is a physical freak. He just ran a 4.57 at his Georgia Pro-Day and had an incredible combine. He is an extremely versatile player who in the past two seasons recorded 17 ½ sacks (one season as a DE on season as an OLB), he can excel in both schemes.
More after the jump...
Wide receiver was also a possibility but with Torrey Smith off the board and Titus Young being a reach at this point I think they would pass at that position given this situation. I also strongly considered Nate Solder, but improving the pass rush should be Atlanta's main focus this offseason and local product Justin Houston of Georgia would be a great start.
Next on the clock will be JLDawk with the New England Patriots.
Previous Picks: 1 - Nick Fairley 2 - Patrick Peterson 3 - Blaine Gabbert 4 - Cam Newton 5 - Von Miller 6 - Marcell Dareus 7 - Prince Amukamara 8 - A.J. Green 9 - Da'Quan Bowers 10 - Corey Liuget 11 - Robert Quinn 12 - Julio Jones 13 - Tyron Smith 14 - Jimmy Smith 15 - Mark Ingram 16 - Cameron Jordan 17 - Ryan Kerrigan 18 - Anthony Castonzo 19 - Mike Pouncey 20 - Adrian Clayborn 21 - Phil Taylor 22- Stephen Paea 23 - Brandon Harris 24 - Aldon Smith 25 - Gabe Carimi 26 - Torrey Smith