NFL1000: Atlanta Falcons 2017 NFL Draft Preview

No team has ever lost a Super Bowl after holding a 25-point lead, which means no team has ever had to overcome those scarring memories the following season. This is the challenge facing the Atlanta Falcons after the most stunning single-game collapse in NFL history in Super Bowl LI. Though the team has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, including a defense that looks ready to emerge as one of the NFL's best, there's no way to know how the team is going to deal with failure at that level.The bad news for the 2017 Falcons is that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who brilliantly utilized the weapons at his disposal through most of 2016, is now the 49ers' new head coach. Replacement Steve Sarkisian will run a similar offense, though it remains to be seen how well Sarkisian will elevate the offense in the ways Shanahan didnamelythrough unique personnel deployment and versatile schemes.The good news' Two straight stellar drafts set this franchise up to be the NFL's next great defense. Atlanta became the first team in NFL history to start four rookies on defensesafety Keanu Neal, linebacker Deion Jones, linebacker De'Vondre Campbell and undrafted slot cornerback Brian Poolein a Super Bowl. Second-year tackle Grady Jarrett demolished New England's offensive line for three sacks in that game, and 2015 first-rounder Vic Beasley led the league in sacks with 15.5.When the Falcons hired former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as head coach in 2015, it appeared as though they wanted to emulate Seattle by building a great defense with a versatile rushing attack and a franchise quarterback. Now that Atlanta has done so, we'll see whether the team can overcome itsheartbreaking Super Bowl defeat.Begin Slideshow
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