FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The 2022 NFL draft is in the books, and every Atlanta Falcons draft pick is analyzed below.

The draft was held in Las Vegas on the strip in the area adjacent to Caesars Forum two years after it was initially scheduled. The 2020 NFL draft was turned into a virtual event because of COVID-19.

Here is a pick-by-pick look at how each player Atlanta selected will fit.

Analysis of every NFL pick | Updated depth charts

Round 1, No. 8 overall: Drake London, WR, USC

My take: London is a sensible choice for the Falcons. Receiver is the biggest position of need on offense – and second-biggest on the team behind edge rusher. With three edge rushers already off the board, it was more logical for the Falcons to take who they believe is the best player at his position, instead of the fourth-best player at defensive end or even the third-best offensive tackle, Charles Cross. London immediately becomes Atlanta’s No. 1 receiver and No. 2 pass-catching option behind last year’s first-round pick, tight end Kyle Pitts.

Red zone height: When the Falcons do reach the red zone this season, quarterback Marcus Mariota will have some enticing options. His top three targets will be 6-foot-4 (Pitts), 6-4 (London) and 6-=2 (Cordarrelle Patterson). Those are some massive players for Mariota and, potentially, whoever comes in after Mariota to quarterback Atlanta’s offense.

The market changed: Yes, yes, I know taking a receiver might raise some eyebrows, even if it was a position of need. But consider how the receiver market has changed over the past year. The position has seen massive contracts given out to Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk and Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams. So the position now has a bit more premium than it did before, so teams want to get players on rookie deals. With London, the Falcons now have that.

Round 2, No. 38 overall: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State

My take: The Falcons needed edge rushers. Badly. Like, really, really badly. And Ebiketie makes a lot of sense for Atlanta, which moved up five spots (trading away their fourth-rounder, No. 114) to get him. The 6-3, 256-pound defender improved each year with the Nittany Lions, including 9.5 sacks in 2021 along with 62 tackles. He also forced two fumbles. Throughout the pre-draft process, this is a pick that seemed to make a lot of sense for Atlanta at some point on Day 2, and now it's come to fruition. He'll immediately have a chance to be a starter opposite Lorenzo Carter or Adetokunbo Ogundeji and fill a need.

Round 2, No. 58 overall: Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State

My take: This is an intriguing pick, especially with Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean still on the board. But Troy Andersen is as versatile a defender as you can get. He played on offense and defense in college -- which likely excited the Falcons, who love to have guys who can do multiple things and do them well. At Montana State, he played running back (scoring 33 career touchdowns), quarterback and then was a linebacker. With all due respect to Pitts, this guy might actually be a football unicorn.

Round 3, No. 74 overall: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

My take: The wait is finally over for the quarterback, and Ridder makes a lot of sense, based off of who was left for the Falcons. While there might be some questions about why the team didn't take Liberty's Malik Willis, Willis was not as accurate as Ridder, and Atlanta coach Arthur Smith mentioned accuracy as one of the most important starting traits he looked for in a quarterback. The Falcons did a lot of work on Ridder in the pre-draft process, and by taking him in the third round, it lowers expectations for him and means if he ends up being a spot starter or backup for his career, it can still be a successful pick -- if he holds that role for a long time. This will not preclude Atlanta from taking a quarterback in next year's draft, if it deems it necessary. But Ridder is a nice fit for what the Falcons want to do and could thrive in Smith's offense.

Round 3, No. 82 overall: DeAngelo Malone, OLB, Western Kentucky

My take: The biggest need the Falcons had entering the offseason was at edge rusher. In one night, they essentially changed the trajectory of the position. In Malone, they get a productive pass-rusher who had 94 tackles and 17.5 tackles for loss last season, along with nine sacks. He was Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and 2021. So this is a lot -- a lot of production.

Round 5, No. 151: Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU

My take: This pick is a sensible one for the Falcons. Allgeier is a bigger back -- 5-foot-10, 224 pounds -- who had 36 career touchdowns. Atlanta was going to try to find a running back in this draft, considering the team's backs are all on the older side. Allgeier might not be asked to do a ton as a rookie, since Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams are on the roster (at least for now), but he's going to carve out a role as a back for the future.

Round 6, No. 190 overall: Justin Shaffer, G, Georgia

My take: Shaffer is a big man at 6-foot-4, 330 pounds and was a two-year starter at guard for the defending national champion Bulldogs. At some point, the Falcons had to bring in an offensive lineman to compete with guard Jalen Mayfield, and in Shaffer, they've taken another developmental player who will get a shot to win a roster spot. Other than Chris Lindstrom, everything seems like at least a competition on the interior of the line, and Shaffer should get at least a shot to prove himself.

Round 6, No. 213 overall: John FitzPatrick, TE, Georgia

My take: The Falcons didn't need a pass-catching tight end, but the franchise could use a blocking tight end to replace the retired Lee Smith. In FitzPatrick, they got that. He had 17 career catches and one touchdown at Georgia, but his 6-foot-2, 250-pound frame will be useful for Atlanta when it wants to create a physical presence. That's valuable in Smith's offense.