The Falcons, owners of the sixth pick after a dismal 4-12 season, want to hit another home run in the NFL draft, which starts at 8 p.m. Thursday and runs through Saturday.
In their other trips into the top 10 under general manager Thomas Dimitroff, the Falcons struck gold with quarterback Matt Ryan, who was picked third in 2008, and wide receiver Julio Jones, who was nabbed sixth in 2011.
However, the franchise’s dubious history is littered with top-10 picks who didn’t pan out, such as linebacker Aundray Bruce (first, 1988), cornerback Bruce Pickens (third, 1991) and defensive end Jamaal Anderson (eighth, 2007).
So far, Dimitroff is 2-for-2 in selecting players in the top 10 who’ve reached a Pro Bowl.
His first-round picks outside the top 10 have been solid contributors, although none have gone to the Pro bowl.
In 2008, the Falcons traded back into the first round to select left tackle Sam Baker. In 2009, the Falcons selected defensive tackle Peria Jerry with the 24th pick.
In 2010, the Falcons selected linebacker Sean Weatherspoon with the 19th pick. In 2012, they didn’t have a first-round pick, as it was part of the Jones trade with Cleveland.
Baker, Jerry and Weatherspoon all had injury issues. Last year, the Falcons traded up to select cornerback Desmond Trufant with the 22nd overall pick. He had a strong season and made the Pro Football Writers of America’s all-rookie team.
Dimitroff, who traded up in three of his six drafts, has been secretive and understandably vague about the team’s intentions. The Falcons heavily scouted defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from South Carolina and the top offensive tackles in the draft.
They would have to trade up to land Clowney, but possibly could stand pat at six and get one of the tackles.
Of the five general managers for teams selecting ahead of the Falcons, four of them have ties — some more directly than others — to the franchise. The only general manager without any ties is Houston’s Rick Smith, who reportedly wants to drive a hard bargain to trade out of the top spot even though no franchise quarterback is available.
If Houston doesn’t select Clowney, the Falcons have connections to the next four picks. St. Louis Rams general manager Les Snead was with the franchise for 16 years before joining the Rams in 2011. Jacksonville general manager David Caldwell was with the Falcons from 2008-12.
Cleveland general manager Ray Farmer was a scout with the Falcons from 2002-05 and was with Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli in Kansas City from 2009-12.
Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie interviewed for the Falcons’ GM job, along with Dimitroff, in 2008.
Dimitroff is just fine if the Falcons have to sit in their position, as they did in 2008 before selecting Ryan, who has gone to two Pro Bowls. In 2011, they made a 5-for-1 draft-pick trade with Cleveland to move from the 27th slot to sixth to select Jones, who’s reached one Pro Bowl.
“Otherwise, we normally have been between 20 and 32, give or take,” Dimitroff said. “I think there you are waiting a little bit more and projecting (what other teams will do) a lot more.”
The Falcons have gone through several internal mock drafts to flesh out different potential scenarios.
“We are still projecting in the top 10 — there are countless scenarios — but it’s with six people and not 20 to 32 different people,” Dimitroff said. “I think that’s been interesting for us, and I think it’s really allowed us to focus on what our needs are.”
Also, Detroit reportedly is interested in moving up to select a wide receiver. Because the Falcons perceive this as a deep draft in the top 10, they could move back.
“There are some really good chances potentially to move back and potentially gain more picks in the draft as well,” Dimitroff said.
However, the Falcons and the Lions had some compensation issues pertaining to the Chris Houston trade in 2010 and may not be good trading partners.
The Lions announced that they received Houston in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2010 and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2011. The Falcons announced that they traded Houston for a sixth-round pick in 2010 and a swap of fifth-round selections.
Things were ironed out, but there may still be some bruised feelings over that transaction.
“I don’t want to talk about the teams I have spoken with,” Dimitroff said. “Suffice it to say, there have been some interesting conversations.”
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