3 Potential mistakes the Atlanta Falcons must avoid in the draft

1. Trading up in the first round

There has been some speculation that the Atlanta Falcons could be interested in trading up for a shot at drafting Will Anderson. As great a prospect as Anderson might be Atlanta is still in a great position to target an edge rusher and has options remaining in free agency. Moving up on the first day of the draft would be a mistake and doesn't fit what Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith have been building in Atlanta.

The focus has obviously been on building the most complete roster possible not going out of their way to land certain players. Atlanta has mixed in great players at market value in David Onyemata, Calais Campbell, Taylor Heinicke, and Jessie Bates but the team's focus has remained not on making the splashy moves but on building their roster. Making giving up the picks it would take to move from eight to three not worth the potential payoff of adding Anderson.

The Falcons would be far better served to explore trading back or to be content taking the best player to fall their way with a chance Christian Gonzalez or Jalen Carter are still on the board.