Atlanta Falcons: The pick is in! – and Julio may be out
The Atlanta Falcons seemingly have narrowed down their draft choices if the current rumors from MMQB (Monday morning quarterback) are true.
According to the weekly column in Sports Illustrated written by Albert Breer, he says that the Atlanta Falcons are on the verge of trading future Hall of Famer Julio Jones. That has to mean that the franchise has set its eyes on drafting Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall selection.
“Best available player” – that was the phrase uttered by Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during his introductory press conference when asked for his draft philosophy. Of course, that got a lot of fans excited as this philosophy would have meant that the Falcons would have netted a lot more talent over the last decade than they have.
The #Falcons are taking calls from teams about trading All-Star WR Julio Jones, via @theMMQB pic.twitter.com/voB9R7pYfa
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 26, 2021
The best available player for the Atlanta Falcons will not be a QB
Though given the articles written across the state of Georgia and the fan reaction to several quarterbacks in this draft, it is clear many people are misconstruing “best available” with “best quarterback available”.
The fact is Trevor Lawrence is the best player in the 2021 NFL Draft and that Kyle Pitts in the second-best player in this draft – regardless of position. The second, third, fourth or fifth rated quarterback in this draft is not going to be the best available when the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock with their first pick should they keep their current fourth overall selection.
With just three days left before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft, rumors with the Atlanta Falcons and what they are going to do with Julio and the fourth overall pick will swirl like something that we have never seen before.
With the first three selections all quarterbacks at this point and no further trades happening with those teams, the Falcons are on the clock and have three days to figure out their chosen direction – though what seems the most likely is Kyle Pitts will be an Atlanta Falcon come Thursday night.
Whether he will be paired with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley will be an entirely different story and something that will keep Atlanta Falcons fans on the edge of their seats until then.