FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons owner Arthur Blank didn’t blink at the high price it cost to move up 21 spots in the first round of the NFL draft to select wide receiver Julio Jones.
In addition to trading five picks for one, the Falcons could feel the move in the wallet. The difference between what the 27th and sixth picks were paid last season was $38.5 million.
“Our obligation is to our fans and our franchise,” Blank said Friday. “We will continue to do what we have to do to make sure we have a winning team, a team that can compete at the very highest level.”
With their third-round pick Friday, the Falcons selected linebacker Akeem Dent of Georgia.
Seattle took Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung with the sixth pick last year. He signed a six-year contract that was worth $48.5 million. A total of $30 million of the deal was guaranteed.
New England chose Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty with the 27th pick and signed him to a five-year, $10 million contract. A total of $7.825 million was guaranteed.
If the teams operate under this offseason under the 2010 rules, Jones’ contract would be in the Okung range.
If there is a new collective bargaining agreement in place soon with a rookie-wage scale, Jones’ contract could be significantly less.
“We are very fortunate to have an owner in Arthur Blank who is generous,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “There aren’t that many owners who would be in favor of moving up as far as we did. Financially, it’s a bold move as well.”
Blank noted that Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith have led the franchise to three consecutive winning seasons.
They were 13-3 last season, won the NFC South and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. However, they were pummeled by the Green Bay Packers 48-21 in the divisional round of the playoffs.
When the Packers started scoring, the Falcons couldn’t match. The move to add Jones is designed to make the offense more prolific and give it the ability to add more big plays.
Last season, the Falcons had only 44 plays of 20 yards or more, which was tied for last in the league with Carolina.
Since the disappointing playoff loss, the Falcons have been plotting how to catch-up to the Packers, who went on to win Super Bowl XLV.
“There were a number of scenarios that we talked about,” Blank said. “There were about five that we nailed down. There were specific strategies. This was one of them.”
Blank said the Falcons were ready to pull the trigger on any of the five plans.
“We were thrilled this one developed because we didn’t know if we’d get a trade partner that high,” Blank said.
The Browns are rebuilding. Blank said they needed players, and the Falcons were going for quality over quantity.
“We have a lot of picks left ... and free agency is going to be open at some point,” Blank said. “We have opportunities to continue to get better.”
Blank noted that the move wasn’t for the meek.
“This is the kind of trade that a timid general manager couldn’t make or wouldn’t make,” Blank said. “I would say to you that Thomas is not timid.”
Dimitroff and Blank seemed to take offense to those who contend that the team mortgaged the future much like New Orleans did when they traded all of their picks for Ricky Williams in 1999.
“This move here was not a move for us to make a statement that we were one player away,” Dimitroff said. “That’s not what we are saying here. We are not one player away from anything. This is a player that is going to add to our explosiveness.”
Blank said the bottom line was winning.
“We are about trying to win now and trying to win for the future,” Blank said. “That’s sustainable winning. We’ve done that for three years in a row, and we have to keep going. We need playmakers and difference-makers. Guys that are special. He’s a special athlete, and he’s a special player.”
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