The Atlanta Falcons don't start their selections in the 2012 NFL Draft until the second round, but two of the NFC South opponents are looking to get better early with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers having a top 10 pick
Tampa has the fifth overall pick and is projected to take North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Quinton Coples. With the ninth overall pick, the mock draft has Panthers taking Memphis Tigers defensive tackle Dontari Poe.
This is what Mocking the Draft had to say about the Coples and Poe selections:
"The Bucs simply could not pressure the quarterback last year, and, in a division with Drew Brees, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan, that's a formula for failure. Coples can play linebacker or DE in the hybrid 4-3 scheme Bill Sheridan wants to run. He also impressed many at is Pro Day."
"I'll take a page out of Jaxon's recent mock draft selection for the Panthers and say they go DT here. However, Ron Rivera sprinkled some 3-4 looks into his base 4-3 defense last year. Poe is a stud 3-4 NT."
Read more about the Atlanta Falcons offseason news and notes at SB Nation Atlanta and The Falcoholic.