Kyle Rudolph Should Take Pressure Off of Roddy White in Passing Game

The Atlanta Falcons may have finished with an NFC-best 13-3 record last season, but one still got the sense that they weren’t quite there yet as far as being one of the elite teams in the NFL. They were more efficient than they were dominant, and it was obvious when they got crushed by the Packers that they weren’t built for the postseason.

When the draft rolls around in April, the Falcons will have a number of different ways they can go with their No. 27 pick. A lot of people gave them taking a wide receiver, which of course would help take pressure off of Roddy White. While I agree that this should be a priority, it’s been my opinion for several weeks now that they should take Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph instead.

Because Tony Gonzalez decided to come back for one more year, the Falcons don’t really have a glaring hole at the tight end spot. But because Gonzalez is only going to be around for one more year, the Falcons would do well to look to the future. What they’ll get in a guy like Rudolph is a guy who’s still raw as a blocker, but who is already a huge threat in the passing game. He’s the kind of player who will fight for balls, and he seems to make tough catches at will.

With a bit of seasoning under one of the greatest tight ends of all time, Rudolph could emerge as a star in the very near future.