Dallas, TX
NFL Mock Draft: Dallas Turner Heavy Favorite for Atlanta Falcons?
There’s a very strong possibility for the Atlanta Falcons to select the best defensive player on their board once the get on the clock at No. 8 overall.
The 2024 NFL Draft, in terms of unknown up top, includes the Falcons. Will Atlanta add another piece on offense to an already loaded group, or instead address their defensive woes?
In this latest mock draft released by Pro Football Focus, Atlanta drafts the first defender up top adding a potential game-changing pass rusher. Would Alabama’s Dallas Turner be the missing element desperately needed for Atlanta?
Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner (LB26) works out during the
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
“A record seven offensive players were taken to start the 2021 NFL Draft. There’s a good chance that the 2024 group could tie that mark, as it does in this mock,” PFF wrote. “Turner has a high ceiling as a pass rusher, something the Falcons have been sorely lacking. Atlanta has ranked outside the top 25 teams in pass-rushing grade in each of the past three seasons.”
Last season for the Crimson Tide, Turner produced 10 sacks in 14 games taking a serious step forward during his junior campaign.
What stands out most with Turner’s draft profile is the freakish length and athleticism on display for someone standing 6’2”, 247 pounds: 83” wingspan (88th percentile), 34 3/8” arms (80th percentile); 4.46 40-yard dash (98th percentile), 40 1/2” vertical jump (97th percentile), 127” broad jump (92nd percentile).
Could you imagine if Turner hits his ceiling for the Falcons, if selected at No. 8 overall? A prospect with this type of production and traits not often presents itself for Atlanta. That’s why Turner continues to be a heavy favorite for draft pundits to end up in Atlanta within the next few weeks.
Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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