Falcons: Arthur Blank says Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith haven’t ‘made up their minds’ regarding 4th pick

In an incredibly insightful interview with Arthur Blank, Evan Birchfield of The Falcoholic discussed the new regime and the upcoming NFL draft with the Falcons’ owner. Birchfield spoke on the fourth overall pick and all the options at hand; quarterback, trading down, and everything in between, to which Blank confirmed exactly what I had been saying.

“We have nine picks, obviously we have No. 4, and what we do with that pick remains to be seen,” Blank said. “They’re giving all options a fair hearing, which is really important. They haven’t made up their minds — I don’t believe, from my conversations with them. I have a couple formal meetings with them this week, along with Rich McKay. We’ll sit down and go over their thinking on options like staying where we are, trading down — probably not trading up. But I would certainly consider all of the options that they’re looking at.”

The co-owner of The Home Depot mentioned that regardless of the business, the Falcons included, there needs to be a succession plan in place. He is a compelling and successful individual, and even though Blank has made it abundantly clear it will be Fontenot and Smith’s decision, he still seems fixated on this crop of quarterbacks. But he’s a billionaire for a reason… delegation. The best leaders can successfully delegate, trusting the subordinates they put in place, and I believe Blank trusts his.

I recently revealed my skepticism, and Blank confirmed it; nobody knows — including Terry Fontenot — what the Falcons will do with the fourth overall pick. The reason nobody knows what Atlanta will do when it’s their turn on the clock is that the draft is a massive human-sized chessboard with more moving pieces than casual fans can even imagine. The draft is unpredictable, and the only “lock” is Trevor Lawrence. Zach Wilson has been all but confirmed to go second overall, but you can’t count on anything in the draft.

Even if the Jets take Wilson, the 49ers still have a decision between Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Trey Lance. According to Draft Kings, the betting odds for San Francisco’s pick is Fields (-125), Jones (+100), Lance (+450), and Kyle Pitts (+5000). On March 29, Lance was the favorite at +130. Fields had odds of +150, and Jones stood at +160. By April 8, Jones moved to -200 favorite, with Fields at +250 and Lance at +300.

I only put Pitts in there because I could see it happening in some part of my mind. After all, with George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk, Kyle Shanahan could threaten defenses in a sick kind of way with essentially three tight ends on the field all game. Although Pitts is a massive underdog to go third, it is possible.

It will likely be one of those three quarterbacks, but nobody knows which one the 49ers will take. Each one going at three could cause a different chain of events. If Jones goes third, Fontenot’s phone will be ringing off the hook for people willing to trade up for Lance or Fields. If Fields goes third, Fontenot will likely have less demand for his pick. Either way, Fontenot could select his preference of quarterback if they fall, or he could take Kyle Pitts, who will likely be the best player available regardless of what John Lynch decides to do with the third pick.

My whole point is, Arthur Blank confirmed that every option is on the table, and draft night could present anything. Fontenot has done a wonderful job signing high-upside veteran free agents to team-friendly deals to round out the roster in anticipation of the draft. He does this so the roster doesn’t have any glaring needs, so the organization is balanced and can move in any direction during the draft if the opportunity presents itself.