Dec 20, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Brigham Young Cougars linebacker Ezekiel Ansah (47) hoists the Poinsettia Bowl Trophy after the Cougars beat the San Diego State Aztecs 23-6 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Falcons made one of the more impressive trades in draft history in the 2011 draft. They traded up 21 to choose Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.

The Jones deal seemed to have worked out well for the Falcons. The question on everyone’s mind is with the Falcons eleven picks in this year’s draft, will they trade up once again in this year’s draft?

If there was one player worth trading up for it would be BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.

Ansah would be the one player that the Falcons could look to trade up for because he has the potential to be a cornerstone on the defense. He specifically fills a need at defensive end, despite adding Osi Umenyiora in free agency. Umenyiora is not a long-term answer at defensive end and that is something that the Falcons will be looking out for in this year’s draft.

Ansah may be a bit raw, but his athleticism almost outweighs any negative thing you have to say about him. His athleticism reminds us all of Jason Pierre Paul, who is one of the leagues top defensive ends.

It’s unlikely that the Falcons will trade up for Ansah since he will likely be a top 10 pick in this years draft. However, if trading up for Julio Jones in 2011 tells you anything, it’s that you never know.

Feb 22, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

You look at teams who have won the Super Bowl and all of them have one thing in common, depth at each position.

Depth is one of the very few things that set apart the Falcons from being a legitimate Super Bowl team.

The Draft is the perfect opportunity for teams to take advantage of building depth at multiple positions. A prime example of that is the New York Giants selecting Jason Pierre Paul with their first round selection in the 2010 draft, when they already had Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora at defensive end. Not only did Pierre Paul become a fantastic player, but he also helped the Giants become a dangerous defensive line with the depth that he provided.

Oh yeah, lets not forget that the Giants won the Super Bowl in that same year, primarily because of their depth.

The Good

Sean Weatherspoon was the 19th pick in the draft for your Atlanta Falcons. He is big and fast and will kick your…..well you get the point. Considering all the players that were available, with the exception of Dez Bryant, Weatherspoon was the obvious choice. He will be a solid linebacker who will put pressure on the QB.

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