Atlanta Falcons: Three prospects worth trading back into the first round to take

With 30 days left before the 2021 NFL draft, no one knows what the Atlanta Falcons will do.

Sitting at fourth overall, the Atlanta Falcons are going to presumably have everyone but Trevor Lawrence, Zack Wilson, and Justin Fields in play – though, that is to be determined.

They should have their pick of any top positional players outside of quarterback and that is a great place to be given all the needs that the Atlanta Falcons have. Of course, everyone has an idea of what they will do with the fourth overall pick but what about after that pick?

The one situation that no one has talked about is the Atlanta Falcons not only keeping their original pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but what if they traded back into the later stages of the first round to address another big need with another spectacular young player?

We saw Thomas Dimitroff do this twice in his tenure – in 2008 when he selected Matt Ryan third overall and then traded two second-round picks and a fourth-round pick to Washington for their 21st overall pick and took Sam Baker.

Of course, the second time was just a couple years ago when they took guard Chris Lindstrom 14th overall and then traded back into the first round and took Kaleb McGary.

When you look at the players that will be available between picks 20-32, it would make a lot of sense for the Falcons. Here are the three players that would be worth trading back into the first round to draft.

Defensive End – Gregory Rousseau – Miami

Rousseau is a big, fast, and talented pass rusher that could help the Atlanta Falcons defense immediately. Like Vic Beasley in 2015, he is still raw coming out of college but is much heavier. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees could do a lot in a short amount of time with him and this would be a great late first-round addition.

Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus had this to say about Rousseau in his latest mock draft –

"“Rousseau is far from a polished prospect, but the former Miami defender is a high-end athlete with ridiculous size and length for the position (6-foot-6, 260 pounds). He earned a 76.2 PFF grade playing up and down the line of scrimmage for the Hurricanes in 2019 and can immediately step in as a chess piece while he develops his pass-rushing skill set”"

Safety – Tre’Von Moehrig – TCU

Tre’Von Moehrig is one of, if not the best, safety in the 2021 NFL draft class.

The Atlanta Falcons have an immediate need for a player of his caliber and under the guidance of Jon Hoke and Dean Pees, he could end up being a major steal late in the first round.

Moehrig will remind fans of Keanu Neal with his physicality and would be an instant impact guy for the Atlanta Falcons.

Per Pro Football Focus –

"“Moehrig (6-foot-2, 202 pounds) is the best free safety prospect in the 2021 class and should be coveted for his physical tools and ball production come April’s draft.”"

Cornerback – Greg Newsome – Northwestern

Greg Newsome is a first-round talent, make no mistake about it. He is rated as the third our fourth most talented corner in this draft behind Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn. Some have Caleb Farley out of Virginia Tech as the third-best but he is dropping big time after his second back surgery to eliminate pressure on his spine.

Newsome is 6-foot-1 and explosive. He would be another instance impact corner like AJ Terrell was in 2020. Having the two of them together in the Atlanta Falcons secondary for years to come would help the Falcons hasten the rebuild/reload process than if went running back, receiver, or quarterback.

While head coach Arthur Smith is an offensive guy, he has to know that the defensive side of the ball needs the most help and the draft is the best way to do it at this point given they cannot afford any game-changers via free agency.

With quarterbacks going heavy in the first round, there will be ample talent for the Atlanta Falcons to trade back into the first round and group that will help this football win games immediately.