The Falcons gave up a lot for Julio Jones.

We’ve spent plenty of time dissecting what the Buccaneers did in the NFL draft over the weekend and while we’re still not entirely done with the coverage, it’s also time to look around the rest of the division and take stock of what the competition was looking to do as well. The NFL is as much about what you’re doing to improve your own team as what you’re doing to compete with your division, and the Bucs division got considerably better in this year’s draft.

In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say the NFC South may be the NFL’s toughest division at this point, and if it’s not it’s top two. The Saints and Falcons were already playoff teams, in fact Super Bowl contenders. The Bucs finished last year 10-6 and just improved their biggest area of need and dramatically, and even the Panthers may not be in as bad of a position as it looks like. Let’s scout the NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons

Notable Players: Julio Jones, Akeem Dent, Jacquizz Rodgers

Grade: B, I give Thomas Dimitroff a ton of credit for making a bold move that he feels will help get the Falcons over the top. Atlanta traded a boat-load of picks to move up to 6th and get, in my opinion, the draft’s best receiver. Atlanta now has a mean tandem of receivers in Jones and Roddy White to compliment Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez, that offense is even more balanced and potent. The Falcons also picked up a solid linebacker and the very speedy Jacquizz Rodgers. They didn’t have a ton of needs entering the draft but still managed to get more dangerous. They do lose points for drafting a punter (Matt Bosher) in round six.

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Da'Quan Bowers leads a deep class of Defensive Ends.

Pay attention Bucs fans, this is literally the part of the big board that pertains directly to you. The Bucs needs a defensive end or a pass-rush specialist badly, last year the secondary bailed the Bucs out of a lot of passing situations. This year (especially with Taqib Alib in legal trouble) the Bucs will need to actually generate a pass-rush. It wouldn’t hurt if the end in question could also help against the run too. Last season the Buccaneers were bottom five in sacks and run defense, both need to improve for a playoff run to happen in 2011.

Fortunately this is a great class for defensive ends, there are between six-to-eight players that could find themselves being picked within the first round. Not all of them project to be 4-3 ends, some project to be outside linebackers, but there is certainly plenty of talent to pick from in this class.

Here are the Defensive Ends in the 2011 NFL Draft:

1.) Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson - A lot of people are down on Da’Quan Bowers because he’s been nicked up recently, that may actually work to the Buccaneers’ advantage. Bowers could potentially fall from the top of the first into the 20′s, that’s a prospect the Bucs would jump at. Bowers has all the physical tools to be a solid pass-rusher, the one knock on his pass-rushing is he needs to improve his first step. Beyond that though there’s not much to change, Bowers has elite upper-body strength and good leverage to abuse college tackles. Is already well-equipped to be a run-stopper on the strong side. Does need to improve some fundamental issues here and there but he has become a student of the game. In the past year after losing his father and mentor (Gaines Adams), Bowers has dropped 20 pounds and recommitted himself to football. All the marks against him during the draft process are also fuel for that fire. This kid is going to be very good.

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