A lot of teams draft collegiate tackles to kick inside because they tend to be athletic enough to move with agility but may lack the length needed to be a tackle at the NFL.
Given that the Hawks have uncertainty along the interior and uncertainty at the tackle spots drafting an OT to kick inside is a very good move as it covers your bases in two ways.
Now will JS do that?
Will JS evolve his draft approach toward the OL position? JS likes taking OL in the 4th round which is fine if you need to have for depth or developmental prospects. But for a player to step in year 1 along the OL you need to use higher draft capital.
Cross is the only OL drafted higher than the third round in a long time. Bradford, Olu, and Lucas are fantastic value relative to where they were drafted but right now only Lucas is the only players firmly entrenched as a starter with the other two have the potential to step in. But JS drafting Bradford and Olu a year earlier despite being drafted in lower rounds shows the team had a plan to develop and have them step in at some point. But even with Bradford and Olu you still have a hole at the other guard spot?
So this is where JS is truly going to be tested as a GM. JS tends to favor skill positions in higher rounds looking at dynamic talent but drafting a trench player higher than normal might be in the cards if JS wants to break away from his mold and common pattern (eg 2nd round).
For a little tidbit the last time the Hawks drafted an OL in round 2 was Britt back in 2014. So based on this JS will only draft tackles high if he feels he has a starting spot that needs to be filled immediately or very soon like within a year.
So like I said drafting an OT that can kick inside but also play OT in a pinch is probably something JS should consider to evolve as a decision maker.
To further elaborate here is how the skill positions look on paper:
QB: Smith, Howell
RB: Walker, Charbonnet, McIntosh, Kobach
WR: Metcalf, Lockett, JSN, Bobo, Young, Shenault, Eskridge
TE: Fant, Brown, Mabry
Edge: Mafe, Taylor, Nwosu, Hall
ILB: Baker, Dodson, Thomas, Rhattigan
CB: Jackson, Brown, Woolen, Witherspoon, Burns
DB: Jenkins, Love, Wallace, Bryant, Reed, Sutherland
JS loves drafting skill positions high but RB is saturated and not likely the team draft a RB high. Same with WR but it is a deep draft and the new return rules means RB and WR are in play in mid to late rounds. JS loves drafting RBs and WRs so he will draft both spots at some point.
TE, ILB and QB look thin and this is where the team may use high capital to address these spots.
Defensive backfield is stacked with talent and honestly I would be surprised if the team draft a boundary or nickel CB in any point in the draft. But drafting a safety that can come down in the box and be a sure tackler is higher probability given the team doesn't have certainty at the position long term.
So this draft is setting up where JS can take a shot at OL much higher than where he normally drafts (eg 3rd or 4th round). But it is up to him to pull that trigger.
JS could go OL in first round but trading down and then using extra picks to fortify OL while still adding more talent at skill positions seems more likely.
Now, if there is a player they like that falls into their lap at 16, like Verse, they might pull the trigger despite the heavy investment at the position.
