NFL Rumors: Atlanta Falcons May Trade Up For A Top Edge-Rusher Prospect

KEY POINTS

The Atlanta Falcons failed to make the playoffs in their 2019 campaign
They are looking at the draft for a formidable defensive player
Speculation has it that they're willing to trade up in order to secure a formidable pick

Teams are looking at the upcoming NFL draft to make additional improvements for their roster. The Atlanta Falcons are seeking to bounce back after their 2019 campaign that fell short of a postseason berth. Rumors have emerged that the Falcons see multiple top prospects as possible players to trade up for.

This is a pivotal time for the Falcons as they want to make the most of their star power in their current team. Their quarterback Matt Ryan is a four-time Pro-Bowler and signed a $180 million five-year extension with the Falcons in 2018. His services go hand-in-hand with wide receiver Julio Jones who is a phenomenal athlete and a two-time First-team All-Pro.

Having these two players with the Falcons are pivotal to their success and boosting their roster with top talent from the draft could elevate their game further. Several college standouts are available in this year’s class including edge-rushers such as Chase Young, K’Lavon Chaisson and Yetur Gross-Matos who are among the top prospects.

The highest pick the Falcons have is the 16th selection in the first round. There’s a chance that they can trade up for a bigger opportunity to get the highly coveted picks. Young is the projected top defensive end of the draft and he is expected to go within the top five overall. Chaisson is projected to be the 9th pick while Gross-Matos is within the middle of the first round.

One team that appears poised to make some noise with a move up is the #Falcons. They have spent a lot of times evaluating and talking to players who figure to be gone by No. 16… and when other teams do their projections, they believe Atlanta will be on the move.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2020

General Manager Thomas Dimitroff has done similar moves before in the past when he sent a package of picks for Jones in 2011. Making a deal to solidify a strong rookie wouldn’t be far off. Dimitroff shared that his approach towards the draft involves assessing what’s best for the team.

"We do believe, definitely, it is need and fit, that's important for us. Best player on the board works into it if you have two or three positions that you do need. Hopefully, you're going to go with the best player at that position, unless there is a completely disjointed set up. Meaning, if we needed a position exponentially more than another position, and we weren't going to go with the best player at another position," Dimitroff shared through Bleacher Report.

Integrating a talented rookie with the duo of Ryan and Jones can help the Falcons boost them further from their average finish in the previous season.