It's been since 2008 that I've been this excited about a Falcons draft (and for the record, I absolutely hated the past three drafts the moment they were concluded).
Bottom line is, whatever conglomeration made draft day decisions, they got it right. And big time. How many times does a team come out of a draft knowing that its first five picks will, barring injury or something else unforeseen, see significant playing time in the fall?
Doesn't happen often, but in Vic Beasley, Jalen Collins, Tevin Coleman, Justin Hardy and Grady Jarrett the Falcons did just that.
I've not seen a draft grade below B from any of the national pundits, and most have been A's. Mel the hair gave them a B but he rarely doles out A's because, let's face it, no one is as smart as he is. Saying the Falcons should have taken Bud Dupree at eight says all you need to know.
Anyway, even if Beasley starts out as a situational pass rusher, his impact against the passing game should be huge. He will at least make quarterbacks uncomfortable, something that we've not seen since John Abraham's two good years.
Clemson teammate Grady Jarrett was an absolute steal in the fifth round and kudos to the team for trading up to get him. The knock on him apparently is that he's not a great pass rusher. OK. I want my defensive tackles to be run stuffers and that's what he is.
The pick of Collins proved the team has finally moved on from its holier-than-thou approach to drafting guys with checkered pasts. Sure, three failed drug tests at LSU are a concern, but the team had to have good reports on him for Arthur Blank to sign off on the pick.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn talks with Stephen Williams (16) during an NFL football minicamp practice Tuesday, April 28, 2015, in Flowery Branch, Ga. On the field he's perfect for what Dan Quinn wants, a rangy cornerback who excels in press coverage. The team's secondary, with holdovers Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford, is now a strength.
Some will argue Coleman is the team's best pick, and why not? All you need to know is the kid averaged 7.5 yards per carry at Indiana. He went for over 200 yards against Urban's defense at Ohio State.
With Collins, Devonte Freeman and Antone Smith, the team has quality and quantity.
The same can again be said for the receiving corps with the addition of Hardy, the NCAA record holder for receptions. He's a perfect replacement for slot receiver Harry Douglas because all he does is get open. I watched three East Carolina games this past season and the kid was doubled more times than not and still went off.
Again, great draft that plugged a lot of holes.
What's left to do?
With so many needs for the Falcons there was no way to fill them all, something that can now be addressed in free agency, cuts from other teams or possibly trades.
There still is a glaring hole at tight end. Yes, the team signed Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki to go with holdover Levine Toilolo, but none appears to be a longterm solution.
Same can be said at middle linebacker, where Paul Worrilow must have thrown a huge party following the draft since no competition was picked. He's not bad, but unless 2014 draftee Prince Shembo steps up, this will be a weakness.
And then there is the offensive line, where the team added seventh-round pick Jake Rodgers, a mammoth tackle out of Eastern Washington. Having to count on Sam Baker to return from injury is pretty scary.
Atlanta Hawks' Jeff Teague, right, puts up an off-balance shot to score a basket and draw a foul from Sacramento Kings' Ray McCallum (3) in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 9, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Hawks can't stand prosperity
In the regular season whenever the Hawks got a double-digit lead on a team the game was essentially over. In the playoffs that's been far from the case.
Sunday's horrible loss in game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Wiz shows why this team is in serious trouble. A great first half was followed by one of the worst halves of playoff basketball anyone's seen this side of Milwaukee.
Why? Hard to explain, but it seems Jeff Teague's ankle woes are a major issue. He's been the glue all year late in games and he just can't penetrate or harass ball handlers as he did pre-injury. Dennis Schroder should have played more in the final quarter.
This team is at its best when there is constant penetration from its point guards, which opens up the court for the shooters. I don't mind the jump shots but when they're not falling you have to try to get in the lane.
Which brings me to Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Those two have to be more active inside. They're both great passers but for some reason we're seeing them on the perimeter way too often.
Sure, the team was tired after playing late Friday, but c'mon, these are the NBA playoffs. That's no excuse for letting Bradley Beal go off for 28 points or for letting the Wiz get offensive rebound after offensive rebound.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz works in hisl game against the Cincinnati Reds Friday, May 1, 2015, in Atlanta.Braves rebound after ugly loss
It was nice to see Julio Teheran find his fastball again Sunday in a 5-0 win over the Reds, certainly a great sign for the rest of the season.
It was needed because last week's 13-12 loss to the Nationals still stings. Up 9-1 and 10-2 Fredi Gonzalez still found a way to lose the game, leaving Teheran and Luis Avalon in way too long when they clearly had nothing. I know the bullpen is having its issues, but you at least have to try to stop the bleeding.
The big news of the week, though, was the nice opening start for Mike Foltynewicz, who overcame some early jitters to show why the team thinks so much of the power pitcher. Getting Trevor Cahill out of the starting rotation is cause for celebration.