Everything about the Atlanta Falcons’ offseason revolves around one question: Who will be the next quarterback? First-year coach Raheem Morris has said his team will consider the draft, free agency and trade options to address the position.

Until Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot pick one of those paths, it’s hard to predict how their offseason will go. With that in mind, we’re presenting our first Falcons mock draft of the offseason with Draft Path 1 and Draft Path 2. The first path assumes the draft is where the quarterback will come from. The second path assumes the Falcons will already have added a quarterback and will enter the draft looking to build around the new guy.

We completed this mock draft with the help of Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator and avoided all trades so we’d have an apples-to-apples comparison of the picks.

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Round 1, pick No. 8

The quarterback draft: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU

The non-quarterback draft: WR Malik Nabers, LSU

The No. 1 issue with relying on the draft to get a quarterback is that while Daniels was available in this simulation, I don’t think he will be available with the eighth pick in the actual draft. The LSU product is widely considered the third-best quarterback prospect in this draft. Two teams ahead of the Falcons (Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders) almost definitely will draft a quarterback, one (New England Patriots) probably will and one more (New York Giants) might. So the Falcons could either hope they get a break and Daniels is available, trade up to take Daniels and thereby lose other resources or overdraft (in my opinion) Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy if Daniels is not available. There’s a lot of dice rolling involved in all three of those options, and you remember what happened the last time Atlanta rolled the dice at quarterback, right?

On the other hand, if the Falcons take care of the quarterback spot in free agency, they can address their second-biggest need right away. Nabers is the No. 3 prospect on Dane Brugler’s most recent Big Board. Nabers led major college football in catches of more than 20 yards last season (34), would immediately give the Falcons a deep threat and can be used in the run game with jet sweeps. (The Sean McVay offense loves the jet sweep.)

Round 2, pick No. 43

The quarterback draft: WR Troy Franklin, Oregon

The non-quarterback draft: Edge Darius Robinson, Missouri

If Atlanta goes quarterback in Round 1, then it must quickly get to helping that quarterback. That means adding to the wide receiving corps, and Franklin looks like the best option at this spot simply because of his top-end speed. He might run a sub-4.35 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he’s a little thin (6 foot 2, 178 pounds) and might struggle against physical man coverage in the NFL.

You knew it was coming…

Ran the @BoNix10 to @TroooyyyyyyTroy play again!

ORE 13, USC 7 (Q1 | 4:11)#GoDucks

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/urI20CowiU

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 12, 2023

Robinson, meanwhile, was the biggest winner of Senior Bowl week. The 6-5, 286-pounder has 35-inch arms and looked versatile enough in Mobile, Ala., to fit well into the 3-4 base defense the Falcons will use under new defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. Taking care of the quarterback situation in March and drafting a wide receiver in Round 1 opens up the possibility of addressing other needs sooner.

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Round 3, pick No. 74

The quarterback draft: WR Roman Wilson, Michigan

The non-quarterback draft: CB Kalen King, Penn State

Yes, on Draft Path No. 1, we’re doubling up on wide receivers in the first three rounds. It’s that important. The Falcons’ wide receiver corps has to get deeper if they are going to commit to the 11-personnel life everyone expects now that Zac Robinson is the offensive coordinator. Wilson would provide a nice complement to the speedy Franklin in the passing game. He’s 5-10, 186 pounds and showed good separation on intermediate routes at Michigan.

On Draft Path No. 2, the Falcons can address cornerback here. It seems unlikely Jeff Okudah will be back and Clark Phillips, last year’s fourth-round draft pick, struggled at times down the stretch. Even if Phillips becomes the player the previous coaching staff thought he would, they can use more coverage depth. King, 5-11 and 191 pounds, was considered one of the top cornerback prospects in the country heading into the season but struggled some in 2023. He’ll likely be around here because of it.

Round 3, pick No. 79 (via Jacksonville)

The quarterback draft: Edge Jonah Elliss, Utah

The non-quarterback draft: OT Delmar Glaze, Maryland

Another Elliss on the defense probably is appealing to the Falcons considering how well inside linebacker Kaden Elliss worked out last season. Jonah is Kaden’s brother, and at 6-1, 243 pounds, he could fit right next to his brother at outside linebacker in the 3-4 formation.

Utah Edge Jonah Elliss has been one of the biggest breakout players in all of college football this season.

One of the reasons: a vicious spin move that OTs have had no answer for all year. pic.twitter.com/WKxGg7cCPY

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 8, 2023

Atlanta doesn’t need an offensive tackle this year (barring injury), but it’s time to start thinking seriously about the position. Jake Matthews will be entering year No. 11 next season, and Kaleb McGary missed three games due to injury in 2023. The 6-4, 323-pound Glaze played both tackle spots at Maryland and is big enough to move inside if he’s not athletic enough to play tackle in the NFL.

Round 4, pick No. 109

The quarterback draft: OT Roger Rosengarten, Washington

The non-quarterback draft: WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida

All that stuff we talked about at tackle above? Here we just address it one round later with Rosengarten, who is a Washington product like McGary. The 6-5, 311-pounder has good feet for his size and would have time to develop.

With Pearsall, the Falcons could add depth in the middle rounds with one of the toughest wide receivers in the draft. The 6-foot, 193-pounder led Florida in receiving last season.

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Round 5, pick No. 145

The quarterback draft: CB Andru Phillips, Kentucky

The non-quarterback draft: Edge Xavier Thomas, Clemson

Phillips could be a steal at this spot. The 5-10, 191-pounder is Brugler’s No. 69 prospect. He had a good week at the Senior Bowl and has the physicality to play nickel right away if needed.

Taking Thomas would be a bet on upside. A five-star prospect coming out of high school, the 6-1, 244-pounder didn’t live up to those expectations at Clemson, but he’s still an explosive athlete coming off the edge. The Falcons need more of those.

Round 6, pick No. 198 (via Cleveland)

The quarterback draft: DT Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa

The non-quarterback draft: DT Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa

All roads lead to Boyd! In either simulation, the defensive tackle out of Northern Iowa is attractive simply because of his size. He’s 6-4, 317 pounds and NFL teams (especially those running a 3-4 defense) can always use a huge man.

(Photo of LSU teammates Malik Nabers and Jayden Daniels: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)