Draft day trade will be a double-edged sword for the Atlanta Falcons

Several reports throughout the last week and a half have stated that the Atlanta Falcons are among the most aggressive in trade talks to move up, making Thursday’s first-round showcase that much more interesting for Atlanta Falcons fans.

This is an interesting scenario because there are many scenarios that could play out from this possible trade. On one hand, moving into the top ten would allow the Atlanta Falcons to pick up a possible elite caliber player, but on the other hand, the team could be giving up quite a bit to draft a said player. There’s also a possibility that said player ends up being a great selection, but costs so much to get that it might not have been worth it.

It seems likely that the guys the Atlanta Falcons are interested in are Jeffrey Okudah, C.J. Henderson, and Isaiah Simmons, according to multiple sources and experts. Any three of these guys would fit a need for the Atlanta Falcons and could have an immediate impact.

That’s the problem, however, COULD have an immediate impact. The Atlanta Falcons will more than likely have to give up their second-round pick or one of their two fourth-round picks, along with the 16th pick to move up into the top ten. Losing a pick could be detrimental to a team like the Atlanta Falcons that has several needs, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.

There will still be NFL caliber starters available at 16 and the duration of the draft, but the guy that the Atlanta Falcons want seems to be projected to go early, which is why the trade talks are being reported.

This move worked out great for the Atlanta Falcons when they moved up to snag Julio Jones in 2011, but there is no telling if the player they are after this year will end up having the same impact as Jones, which is a scary thought to have. The team has no fifth or sixth-round picks right now and that is a long time to wait before picking again in the seventh round.

The extra fourth-round pick will give the Atlanta Falcons a chance to steal a running back or another defensive guy, along with whoever they draft with their other fourth-round pick, but if that is gone then they give that opportunity up. This would only leave them with five total picks. One less pick to try and fix the needs on defense.

Moving high up in the draft to snag a player is great if that guy ends up being a stud, but a horrible decision if that guy ends up being a scrub that you basically wasted two picks on. Even if he does end up becoming a star, the team still loses a pick, which could be detrimental to what the team is trying to do right now.

Hopefully, the draft works out for the Atlanta Falcons and they can get their guy and fix the defense. That would be a perfect world. One thing is for certain, everyone will be looking back on this draft throughout the upcoming season, whether it is in a positive or negative light is to be determined.