Atlanta Falcons: What the 49ers trade in 2021 NFL Draft means

What the 49ers’ trade to No. 3 overall means for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Atlanta Falcons possess the No. 4 overall pick in the impending 2021 NFL Draft, which will take place in just a little over a month from now.

It has been the schedule that the Falcons would pick behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and then the Miami Dolphins before they were on the clock. Now, that’s changed a bit.

The San Francisco 49ers vaulted up to No. 3 by trading with the Dolphins, and the Dolphins then traded the No. 12 pick to the Philadelphia Eagles and moved back inside the top-10 by acquiring the No. 6 overall pick.

Interestingly enough, the 49ers moving up to No. 3 overall allows the Atlanta Falcons a luxury that they previously didn’t possess

With the 49ers moving up to No. 3 overall, we know what the first three picks are going to be.

We already knew that the Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence), Jets (likely Zach Wilson) were going to go after quarterbacks. There was a little bit of a question mark, though, when it came to what the Dolphins might do with their pick, had the stayed at No. 3.

Some thought the Dolphins might go after a wide receiver- like Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith- and others thought they might draft OT Penei Sewell. Most didn’t think they’d go after a quarterback, though.

Now that the 49ers are No. 3 overall, we can pretty much guarantee that the first three picks of this draft are going to be quarterbacks. We simply just don’t know the order yet.

So, what does that mean for the Atlanta Falcons?

The Falcons have restructured Matt Ryan’s contract and it’s not our belief that they’ll take a quarterback in the first-round. If that’s the case, they’re now going to be afforded the luxury of being able to take the top player in this draft that’s not a quarterback. Or, if they decide they want more draft capital, they could trade back and leverage their pick in the biggest way possible.

With three quarterbacks off the board in the first three picks, teams who are desperate to draft the fourth QB are going to be lining up at the Falcons’ door to try and trade up to get in position to get ‘their guy.’ That is, if the Falcons don’t just decide to up-and-take their pick as it stands currently.

If Atlanta plays it right, there’s nothing stopping them from winning this draft in a big way and having the first three picks already basically set gives the Falcons even more leverage than they would’ve had previously.