Falcons’ Kevin Stefanski: Draft picks are lifeblood of an organization
The Falcons acquired more draft capital Monday, trading All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III to the Jaguars for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
It was an extremely strong value for a 29-year-old safety on an expiring contract — the type of return that essentially necessitates a deal, even if the Falcons initially had no intention of moving Bates.
The team says this isn’t a move that indicates giving up on the season, but the reality is that if the Falcons felt they had a good enough team to make a real run, they wouldn’t have traded a key veteran. But the logic is sound. This is an excellent return for a player who could’ve walked to another team this spring, and it arms the Falcons with another premium asset.
“This is football where sometimes you have one foot in the short term, one foot in the long term,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “There are things like this that make your team better in the long run. Draft picks are the lifeblood of an organization. I know that’s something that we believe in. So, while the person (is) part of this … you understand there are some decisions we make organizationally that we feel strongly about doing for the football team.”
Now, the Falcons need to get these upcoming picks right. There’s reason to be encouraged after general manager Ian Cunningham seemed to find some gems in his first draft — one in which he was short-handed in picks.
Early picks Avieon Terrell and Zachariah Branch remain to be determined. But linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. look better than their Day 3 draft slots. They’re a testament to Cunningham’s scouting background. He spoke at length about the importance of draft picks at his opening news conference, so while some teams — like the Rams and the Jaguars — are more willing to flip capital for win-now talent, the Falcons are in asset-collection mode. They need to acquire as many picks as they can.
Monday was a good start. They own three picks in the first 64 selections. And maybe they can add more by the time the draft rolls around. For a franchise that’s spent nearly a decade in darkness, this was an admission of where the team currently stands. That alone was a step forward, and one that could put it back on track toward relevance.
