Rumors leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft had the Atlanta Falcons moving up and targeting a pass rusher. That should have meant the shock would have been minimal when Atlanta traded their first and third round pick to move up to number 26. The shock also should have been tempered when UCLA pass rusher Takkarist McKinley was the selection. It wasn’t though.
Despite the belief being that Atlanta needed more help on defense there was a large faction of fans that wanted to see improvement on the offensive line — preferably at guard. That group of fans was a little peeved at McKinley being selected at 26, rather than the best guard prospect in the draft, Forrest Lamp of Western Kentucky.