3 Things the Jeff Okudah trade tells us about the Atlanta Falcons draft plans

2. The Atlanta Falcons are more likely to trade down than trade up

Atlanta went into the offseason with a total of nine picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Following their trade for Jonnu Smith and Jeff Okudah, they are down to seven picks.

Seven picks is plenty of picks, but, clearly, if you are going to trade up, you are going to lower that number. I cannot see Terry Fontenot finishing the 2023 draft with fewer than six new players. Sure, you might be able to pull off a trade that only costs you one pick this year, but it will cost you more capital for next year, and our GM has shown that he isn't one to mortgage the future.

Also, there is the fact that they have a dead spot between the fourth and seventh rounds. I don't see the Falcons sitting on their butts over the span of 111 picks. At the very least, look for them to add a fifth-round pick somewhere in the draft—perhaps some of this is me selfishly not wanting to watch the draft that long without seeing Atlanta make a selection. All the same, I think it is a fair assumption.