The Falcons have consistently moved around in the draft since the new regime took over. It shouldn’t surprise anyone either. Terry Fontenot cut his teeth under Mickey Loomis in New Orleans, who is notoriously aggressive in drafts.
Atlanta has traded up or back in every second round since Fontenot took over as GM. In 2021, the club moved back and landed Richie Grant. Last year, the Falcons traded up selecting Arnold Ebekite. And just last month, they moved up to grab Matthew Bergeron.
What makes this selection even more intriguing is the Falcons reportedly jumped to the 38th pick because they felt the Saints would select the Syracuse product at the 40th pick, according to Chad Forbes.
Falcons jumped to 38 because they felt Saints would select Matthew Bergeron at 40. Doug Marrone Syracuse connection & Saints could've used Bergeron given Andrus Peat's over/under on games plays in 2023 is probably 6.5.
— Chad Forbes (@NFLDraftBites) April 28, 2023
The consistent theme of trading won’t change, but there will be a difference between the Falcons’ recent second-round picks.
Grant only played in 23.5% of the defensive snaps in his rookie campaign; Ebiketie logged 46% and Troy Andersen took nearly 43% of the defensive snaps last year.
Bergeron will be different. This isn’t to say he will be more productive or impactful than either three of the other second-rounders, but he will be a steady presence. Ideally, the Falcons would like him to start immediately at left guard and give them no reason to relegate him to a rotational role like the other second-rounders.
The Falcons may have just found Chris Lindstrom‘s long-term running mate, and to make it even sweeter, they may have swiped him right out from underneath their arch rivals.
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Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
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