Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said at his pre-draft press conference Tuesday the team, not surprisingly, has discussed deals around the No. 8 overall pick with other teams. The NFL draft begins Thursday evening.
“We’ve already (talked with teams), and we’ll continue to do that over the next couple of days, but we have,” Fontenot said. “We’ve talked to a few teams after us because we want to be open. We’ve talked to teams in front of us. We’ll continue to have those conversations because we want to be flexible. Like (coach) Arthur (Smith) said, we game it out. We talk through all of the different scenarios. It’s our job to be prepared for whatever happens.
“We talk through all of the different ways, but yes, we’ve had those conversations already and we’ll continue to have those conversations, whether we’re talking about in front of us or behind us.”
Numerous national reporters, including Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, recently have written that the Falcons are among the teams most interested in trading back. The Falcons have been linked to several players, including pass rushers Tyree Wilson, Nolan Smith and Lukas Van Ness, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and running back Bijan Robinson. The latter, a popular choice for fans, would make sense as a target in a trade-back scenario.
“Look, we might not make a single trade in this draft, or we might make four,” Fontenot said. “We don’t see ourselves as a team that’s going to just sit on our hands. If we see a player that we want, we want to try to figure out a way to get him, and each pick, whether we are talking about the first pick or the pick in the third round, it’s going to affect that next move.”
The Falcons’ old regime was known for its trades, going back to general manager Thomas Dimitroff vaulting up the board for receiver Julio Jones, who became one of the best players in franchise history. Dimitroff made five trades in the first round and struck deals in 12 consecutive drafts. In his final draft in 2020, the Falcons reportedly tried to move up to the No. 2 overall pick – which would become edge rusher Chase Young – but they stayed put at No. 16 and selected cornerback A.J. Terrell.
The current front office hasn’t yet made a splashy draft trade (though it traded several big-name players, including two Falcons icons in Jones and quarterback Matt Ryan as the team underwent a rebuild).
In 2021, the Falcons traded back five spots in the second round with Denver, picking up an extra fourth-round pick. Last year, the team moved up five spots in the second round to select linebacker Arnold Ebiketie. This could be the first time Fontenot makes a move on Day 1.
“When you’re picking where we are, you’ve had those conversations in general,” Fontenot said. “I’d be surprised if the phone would ring and it’s someone that you haven’t talked to yet. When you’re picking in the top 10, usually, you’ve had those conversations and gone all the way down to, ‘OK, this is what it would be,’ and you’ve agreed to the framework. If this happens, if this player is there, this is what we’d do.
“So you have those conversations. Now, when you’re in the third round, that’s when you get a lot of those calls on the clock that you weren’t prepared for that you don’t know. When you’re picking where we are, a lot of those conversations have been had.”
Expect a hectic first round. Fontenot echoed what others have opined: “This is the most uncertain it’s been,” as far as guessing how the round will unfold. There are five quarterbacks who will dominate discussion, but there’s also seemingly a lack of consensus on offensive linemen, linebackers and cornerbacks, which could create some surprise scenarios and perhaps motivate teams to make trades.
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