The Atlanta Falcons Have a Golden Ticket With the No. 4 Pick

The Atlanta Falcons hold the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which is rapidly approaching. There's a cornucopia of quarterback talent at the top of boards right now and there figures to be quite a run on the position right out of the gates. All of this makes that fourth pick incredibly valuable as the Lawrence-Wilson-Lance-Fields quartet are universally recognized as a notch above the rest of the field.

Just yesterday we pointed in the general direction of Peter Schrager, who has the New England Patriots trading up to get their paws on Justin Fields. The rumor mill keeps on churning though, as the Pats are far from the only team that could benefit from beefing up the most important position in sports.

Ian Rapoport, also of the NFL Network, identified the Denver Broncos as another contender to jump up and get a signal-caller, perhaps with the Falcons or, less likely, with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The long-term future and ceiling of Drew Lock varies on who you ask, so it's no surprise that such maneuvering would be in play. What emerges as most clear through discussion is how valuable the No. 4 pick will be. Especially on the day of the draft where teams will feel immense pressure to pull the trigger or be left wondering what could have been.

Matt Ryan is secretly quite competent and if Atlanta is comfortable going to battle with him at the helm, they could get a king's ransom. We've said it before but it bears repeating: this is the most compelling spot in the entire first round and capable of going in myriad directions.