The FalconsLife message board on AtlantaFalcons.com is where die-hard Falcons fans go to talk, share ideas and discuss every imaginable topic concerning the Falcons.
During the offseason we'll take a look at a hot topic on the Talk About the Falcons department of FalconsLife and examine what's on the minds of Falcons fans.
The notion of trading up in the NFL Draft is a widely recognized one and an often utilized move. The team moving up to grab a player they like steals all the headlines, but there's another team involved, moving backwards and securing extra picks. Some teams do this frequently, sliding back in a single draft more than once, stockpiling picks and still landing quality players.
This week on the FalconsLife message board, a popular (and intelligent) fan and poster, g-dawg, asks if the Falcons should trade down instead of up.
Using the very familiar draft trade value chart, g-dawg proposes a trade that would move the Falcons down 13 spots from the 55th pick to the fourth pick in the third round. Using the value chart, the Falcons would also pick up a fourth round pick with this trade, giving the Falcons three picks in the top 100, assuming the fourth-round pick is high enough to earn that label.
It's a great way to accumulate talent and be fluid on draft day, but g-dawg also proposes other reasons this is a good idea. He feels this year's draft is about building depth and letting the incoming coordinators work to develop the current talent and the incoming talent.
When you look at the Falcons' roster, it makes a lot of sense. There are few positions that will likely undergo true training camp position battles, so when you begin to consider that any player, even one picked at No. 55, Atlanta's current first pick, will likely not be a starter right away, it seems a prudent move to acquire more picks and thus acquire more depth.
Another poster, muskokas finest, points out that Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff has never traded back and trading up this year will be challenging.
"Dimitroff doesn't have the arsenal to trade up without damaging next year's draft," he wrote.
Any way you look at it, the Falcons, although short on picks, have the opportunity to approach this year's draft a little differently than in year's past. When so many returning starters, true depth can be a focus and maybe a homerun is hit with a player who can join the roster and do big things in limited roles like return man or second-option tight end.
This could be the year Dimitroff finally does something he saw a lot of during his time in New England: trade back in the draft.
