Justin Houston Stays Local and Could Make a Big Impact

The Falcons have been searching for another pass rushing threat opposite John Abraham for quite some time now and this may be the year they finally get it right.

They do have other needs, especially at the offensive skill positions on the outside as well as reinforcements on the offensive line and in the secondary, but defensive end is clearly the their top priority.

The value at wide receiver and tight end in the latter portion of the first round is not as high as I would like for this team but defensive end still has a few good options left.

Todd McShay thinks the same thing and writes:

“Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan is also an option here but Houston has the size (6-foot-2, 270 pounds) and pass-rush skills to be an effective right end in a 4-3 system. He would also find himself in a good situation playing behind and learning from Falcons DE John Abraham, who had 13 sacks in 2010 but will turn 33 during the offseason. Houston could help keep Abraham fresh while preparing to become his replacement.”

Justin Houston is an intriguing pick that will not be completely ready to contribute right away but will be a perfect situational pass rusher.

He spent majority of his time with his hand in the dirt at Georgia but also dabbled in coverage a bit this season.

He was an extremely disruptive force in opposing SEC backfields and was terror to block off the edge.

In McShay’s scenario the Falcons pass on a more polished technician in Ryan Kerrigan though and I think that would be a mistake.

Houston will be quite the prospect but if I had a choice between Kerrigan and Houston I would side with the Purdue senior.

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