Falcons GM Ian Cunningham met with the media ahead of this week’s NFL Draft and also discussed the team’s recent trade of 2024 second-round defensive tackles, with Ruke Orhorhoro going to Jacksonville and Maason Smith landing in Atlanta.
It’s not often you see players at the same position swapped straight up with nothing else involved — especially two guys entering their third seasons who were drafted just 13 picks apart. But that’s exactly what happened last week, and from the Falcons’ perspective, the reasoning isn’t all that complicated.
While both are listed as defensive tackles, their skill sets are very different. Maason Smith’s strengths lie on the interior. He’s built to hold up against the run — an area Atlanta struggled with consistently last season — whereas Ruke Orhorhoro was never going to be a player who thrived clogging lanes in the middle of the defensive line.
Through 24 NFL games, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Smith has totaled 32 tackles and three sacks. Before entering the league, he was a standout at LSU and was projected as a top draft pick before a devastating ACL injury in the first game of his sophomore season caused his stock to slip. Still just 23 years old, the Falcons clearly believe there’s untapped upside there.
Cunningham also addressed the possibility of more moves leading up to the draft, saying, “If people call, we’ll listen.”
Naturally, the name everyone is watching is Kyle Pitts. The All-Pro tight end hasn’t shown any signs of holding out for a new deal, but the rumors are only getting louder that Atlanta would at least consider moving him if the right offer comes along.
Pitts did a terrific job rebuilding his value last season, hauling in a career-high 88 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns. At just 25 years old, it’s easy to see why there’s interest around the league. But at the same time, the Falcons have to seriously weigh the idea of extending him.
Because outside of Drake London, there isn’t another pass catcher on this roster that strikes fear into defenses, and that’s not something you can afford to give away lightly.
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Photo: Christopher Leduc/Icon Sportswire
