Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons Tried To Move Up For Chase Young

Being connected to rumors of making a big leap in the first round, the Falcons attempted to craft a major trade-up. They tried to move from No. 16 to No. 2 to draft Chase Young, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports (on Twitter).

Young was indeed Atlanta’s target at No. 2, but Glazer adds the Redskins view the Ohio State pass rusher as too valuable to part ways with the draft’s second pick (Twitter link). This may have been the “complete offer” ESPN’s Josina Anderson referenced earlier Wednesday.

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff is not new to big-game hunting in the draft. In 2011, he executed a trade that vaulted the Falcons from No. 26 to No. 6. That selection produced a future Hall of Fame player in Julio Jones. Dimitroff’s efforts this time around have thus far been unsuccessful. But Atlanta has been linked to a trade-up for several days now; a tackle may be another target in this pursuit.

The Falcons already authorized a three-year, $48MM deal for Dante Fowler. Sacrificing extensive draft assets to move up for Young would have made this an incredible offseason regarding Falcons resource allocation at defensive end. The team still has Takk McKinley as well.

Neither McKinley nor fellow ex-first-rounder Vic Beasley — now with the Titans — has played on the level the Falcons hoped. And Atlanta had a McKinley replacement lined up. With no other Young-caliber edge-rushing prospect in this draft, the Falcons might need to go with a Fowler-McKinley tandem.

Falcons Could Target OT

The Falcons have been ultra aggressive in their play to move up the board in Round 1. Many have assumed that they’d leap for a big-time cornerback, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that they’ve also spent time chatting with some of this year’s top offensive tackles. 

The elite cornerbacks – Jeffrey Okudah and C.J. Henderson – still seem to be the most likely targets for Atlanta if they vault into the Top 10. Still, Rapoport hears they’re at least considering the possibility of tapping a tackle near the top of the order. The offensive lineman in this year’s class aren’t getting as much love as the wide receivers, but it’s another area of strength in this year’s crop.

Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas (a local fave, of course), Louisville standout Mekhi Becton, and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills could all be there for the taking if the Falcons manage to soar high enough. Assuming the Redskins and Lions stand pat at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively, getting the Giants’ No. 4 pick should allow them to grab any of the aforementioned targets, with the possible exception of Okudah. Of course, the Giants are also in the hunt for OL help and they’ve been linked to Wirfs for several weeks, so it’s not a given that they can pry that pick away.

Last year, the Falcons fortified their offensive line in the draft by taking Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom in the first round. They’re still looking for lineman, so it’s a situation worth monitoring.

Falcons Prepared To Make “Huge Leap”

The Falcons are working feverishly to move up the board. They continue to be “the team to watch when it comes to moving up in the NFL Draft,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets

The Falcons currently hold the No. 16 overall pick, but they’ve been pressing to vault into the Top 10. They have multiple needs on the defensive side – including the pass rush and the interior defensive line – but their top priority is likely at cornerback. With that in mind, Rapoport echoes what we’ve been hearing for a while: Thomas Dimitroff is looking for a high-end cover man with eyes on Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah and Florida’s C.J. Henderson.

Most have projected Okudah to be the first cornerback off the board on Thursday, though not everyone agrees that he is the very best CB in this year’s class. More and more executives seem to be pointing towards Henderson as the best at the position. Recently, Peter King of NBC Sports heard that 40% of NFL teams have Henderson slotted as the CB1, with Okudah somewhere below him.

If the Falcons want to guarantee that they’ll get either player, they may have to move all the way up to No. 3 via trade with the Lions. Okudah has long been connected to Detroit, while Henderson has been flirting with the Top 10 boundary. But, as always, nothing is certain – anonymous sources love to run misdirection this time of year and there’s zero guarantee that Henderson would be available for Atlanta at, say, No. 8.

For what it’s worth, Falcons coach Dan Quinn has told reporters that he sees Kendall Sheffield as a potential CB1 (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

In our league and division there are certainly some guys that you want to match up on if you need to,” Quinn said. “He’s definitely somebody with the speed and short-space quickness to do that. I definitely think he has a shot to do that, based on his speed and that I just think he’s going to continue to grow. Yeah, we’re very excited about him.

Long Almost Signed With Falcons

  • Had Chris Long not signed with the Patriots in 2016, the Falcons would have been his choice, the recently retired defensive end said during an appearance on FS1’s First Things First (via NBC Sports Boston). Chris Long visited the Falcons during an offseason that saw other teams pursue him as well. However, Long’s father, Hall of Famer Howie Long, advised him to choose the Patriots because of their winning pedigree. The Patriots ended up beating the Falcons in overtime in Super Bowl LI. Chris had spent his first eight seasons with the Rams and never been to the playoffs. With the Patriots in 2016 and Eagles in 2017, Long ended up winning two Super Bowls.

NFL Draft Rumors: Falcons, Steelers, Cowboys

The Falcons could be the most aggressive team in the NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that GM Thomas Dimitroff went big on draft day – he gambled, and hit the jackpot, with his move up for Julio Jones in 2011. This time around, he could be looking to land one of the draft’s premier cornerbacks. As Mort notes, the Falcons will have to play against the likes of Tom Brady and Teddy Bridgewater this year. An elite defender like Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah or Florida’s C.J. Henderson could give them the artillery they need to keep up in the NFC South.

More draft rumblings from around the league:

  • The Steelers don’t have a first-round pick, but head coach Mike Tomlin says he isn’t “fretting at all” (Twitter link via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com). The Steelers turned that selection into Minkah Fitzpatrick back in September and the former Fins cornerback rewarded them with a first-team All-Pro season. Pittsburgh will have to make the most of their remaining picks, especially since they rank near the bottom of the league in available cap room.
  • Despite the Steelers featuring Joe Haden, Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton, they have drafted a cornerback in ten of the past eleven drafts. They also used a third-round pick on Justin Layne last year. Pittsburgh is slated to hold the No. 49 overall pick. After that, a compensatory selection landed in Round 3 (at No. 104). Should the Steelers feel compelled to further bolster this position, however, that move would more likely come on Day 3, per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly (subscription required).
  • The Cowboys have done “a ton of work” on Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com hears. After racking up 17.5 sacks and 37 hurries over the last two seasons while providing solid work against the run, Gross-Matos is in demand.

Falcons’ Brian Hill Signs RFA Tender

Falcons running back Brian Hill has signed his RFA tender, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. With that, Hill will return to the Falcons on a $2.13MM salary in 2020.

Atlanta originally selected Hill in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. He was waived by the team in October of that year and was signed to the practice squad, but the Bengals plucked him off the practice squad a month later. He ultimately appeared in six games for Cincinnati but was waived prior to the start of the 2018 season. The Falcons, who never really wanted to let him go in the first place, brought him back to their practice squad shortly thereafter.

Hill got just 20 carries in 2018 but saw that number increase to 78 in 2019, as he became the primary backup to Devonta Freeman after Ito Smith succumbed to injury. Freeman was released last month, and while the club brought in Todd Gurley to replace him, Gurley’s own medical history doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence.

Hill, who has posted a very good 4.7 yards-per-carry average across an admittedly small sample size of 109 career totes, will have a good chance to be Gurley’s primary backup, and he could get even more burn if Gurley cannot shake his injury woes. The Falcons may very well select another RB in this week’s draft, but Hill will be in the mix.

2020 NFL Draft Picks By Team

The 2020 NFL Draft is just days away and it’s just a matter of time before picks are swapped and shuffled at lightning speed. Before the trading frenzy starts, let’s take a look at the draft picks owned by each team.

[RELATED: 2020 NFL Draft Order By Round]

Updated: 4-17-20 (5:00pm CT)

Arizona Cardinals

1-8:
3-72:
4-114:
4-131: (from Houston)
6-202: (from New England)
7-222:

Atlanta Falcons

1-16:
2-47:
3-78:
4-119:
4-143: (from Baltimore*)
7-228: (from Tampa Bay, via Philadelphia)

Baltimore Ravens

1-28:
2-55: (from Atlanta, via New England)
2-60:
3-92:
3-106*:
4-129: (from New England)
4-134:
5-170: (from Minnesota)
7-225: (from Jets)

Buffalo Bills

2-54:
3-86:
4-128:
5-167:
6-188: (from Cleveland)
6-207: (from Baltimore via New England)
7-239: (from Minnesota)

Read more

Draft Rumors: Henderson, Dobbins, Davis

Are you ready for surprises on draft day? It sounds like you should be. “The media is wronger about mock drafts this year than you guys have ever been,” one NFL general manager told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). That’s undoubtedly because of the ongoing certainly involving COVID-19, which has caused the league to upend its predraft process. As Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com tweets, “group think” is less likely to occur in 2019 because scouts and executives were unable to congregate at pro days, events where evaluators typically will — intentionally or not — develop something of a consensus on prospects.

After deciding whether “wronger” is actually a word, let’s take a look at more on the upcoming draft:

  • The Falcons held a predraft video meeting with Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson last week, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Atlanta currently holds the 16th overall pick, but recent reports have indicated general manager Thomas Dimitroff & Co. could be interested in moving up the board. Henderson is considered the draft’s second-best cornerback behind Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah, although some decision-makers may rate Henderson No. 1.
  • Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has held video meetings with several NFL teams, including the Chiefs, Packers, Bills, Lions, Saints, Dolphins, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. This isn’t the first time Dobbins has been linked to Miami, as he took a predraft visit with the Dolphins before such meetings were shut down due to COVID-19. Indeed, Dobbins left that visit feeling Miami was “infatuated” with him.
  • Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis says the 49ers, Packers, Dolphins, Ravens, and Eagles are the teams that have contacted him most, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. A massive presence at 6’6″, 310 pounds, Davis a first-round projection and comparisons to DeForest Buckner from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus, however, ranks Davis just 10th among interior defender prospects, noting his lack of development as a pass-rusher.
  • The Ravens, 49ers, Panthers, Titans, and Seahawks have all held video sessions with TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, per Wilson. Blacklock, who stock has risen during the predraft process, missed the 2018 campaign with an Achilles injury but was productive during both his freshman and junior seasons. Last year, he posted 40 tackles (nine for loss) and 3.5 sacks.

2020 NFL Draft Capital By Team

Every NFL team automatically gets seven draft picks per season, but thanks to lots of trades and the compensatory pick process, many clubs end up with more (or less) than their original seven selections. After running down the NFL Draft round-by-round, let’s take a look at how much draft capital each club has amassed:

Updated: 4-16-20 (6:00pm CT)

14 picks

  • Miami Dolphins

12 picks

  • Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • New England Patriots

10 picks

  • Denver Broncos
  • Green Bay Packers
  • New York Giants

9 picks

  • Baltimore Ravens
  • Detroit Lions

8 picks

  • Carolina Panthers
  • New York Jets
  • Philadelphia Eagles

7 picks

  • Buffalo Bills
  • Chicago Bears
  • Cincinnati Bengals
  • Cleveland Browns
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Houston Texans
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Las Vegas Raiders
  • Los Angeles Chargers
  • Los Angeles Rams
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Washington Redskins

6 picks

  • Arizona Cardinals
  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Tennessee Titans

5 picks

  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • New Orleans Saints