The most interesting aspect of Thursday's alternating mock draft between ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay was the first-round omission of Clemson's Vic Beasley.

Beasley, touted as one of the top edge-rushers in this year's draft class, actually fell all the way to the fourth pick of the second round -- 36th overall to Jacksonville. Kiper's commentary on his pick, "Can you say steal? I know I have Beasley higher on my board than Todd, but wow. [Amari] Cooper plus Beasley. The Jags got better."

2015 NFL DRAFT Round 1: April 30, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Rds. 2-3: May 1, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Rds. 4-7: May 2, noon ET (ESPN)

Where: Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Chicago NFL draft home page • 2015 NFL draft order

• Mel Kiper Jr.: Mock 5.0 • Todd McShay: Final mock • Todd McShay's Top 32 players • Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board • Top 10 prospects by position • NFL draft player rankings

Kiper actually made the eighth-overall selection for the Atlanta Falcons and picked Kentucky pass-rusher Bud Dupree. Would the Falcons really overlook Beasley at that slot? I personally don't think so, but maybe there is more to the story.

The Falcons are expected to target an edge-rusher with the pick. Coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff might provide a little more insight on how they view the group of rushers when they address the media Friday afternoon.

There are questions surrounding top edge-rushers Shane Ray from Missouri and Randy Gregory from Nebraska. Ray has a toe injury that he told ESPN Insider Chris Mortensen does not require surgery, while Gregory's stock might take a significant fall after he admitted to testing positive for marijuana at the NFL combine.

Most believe Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., who was recruited to the school by Quinn when he was the Gators' defensive coordinator, will be off the board before the Falcons pick. McShay has Fowler going to the Washington Redskins with the fifth-overall pick in the mock draft.

Although Dupree would not be a bad choice for the Falcons, I still see Beasley being more valuable as a pure pass-rusher. His production in college speaks for itself, and Beasley appears to be is a high-character guy who is good for any NFL locker room.

It's hard to believe a prospect could go from wowing everyone at the combine with outstanding numbers to falling completely out of the first round. Kiper went on to tweet how he believes Beasley will go in the first round but with the alternating picks, Beasley just didn't fall into the right place for his selection.

We'll see exactly what the Falcons and others truly think of Beasley next Thursday night.