With about six hours before the NFL Draft, it’s the Wild Wild West on social media. We have NFL insiders continuing to link the Falcons to Michael Penix despite just handing Kirk Cousins $180 million in free agency. Daniel Jeremiah recently said every team is trying to move up to draft an offensive tackle, and most recently, Peter Schrager said he believes there could be as many as 10 trades tonight in the first round, beginning around where the Atlanta Falcons select at pick #8.
Said this on @PatMcAfeeShow and I’ll say it again bc doing a “final” Mock Draft becomes difficult.
I’m thinking there could be 10 trades or more in tomorrow’s first round.
Maybe not at the top, but once we get to that 5-6-7-8-9-10 range, it sounds like things could get wild.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 24, 2024
The actual NFL Draft is typically not nearly as exciting as all the smoke and hype that comes from NFL insiders leading up to the event. However, this does feel like one of those drafts where we could see a lot of movement because of the positional value of the top draft prospects.
There are more quarterback-needy teams than there are quarterbacks in this draft. So, for the teams picking outside the top five picks, they likely will have to move up to land their guy. Wide receiver is also a resounding strength in this draft class, featuring three stars at the top. You’d be hard-pressed to find many teams that couldn’t use a prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr, Malik Nabers, or Rome Odunze.
Then, there are the offensive tackles, which is a group of prospects that apparently has piqued the interest of the entire league.
To summarize my last 5 phone calls- everyone is moving up for an OT.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 24, 2024
Quarterback, offensive tackle, and wide receiver are three premium positions that everyone holds in high regard. But what makes this all the more intriguing for the Falcons is they don’t really have a need at any of those positions, making them a prime candidate to trade down.
Completely agree, @PSchrags
-5 LAC, 8 ATL and 9 CHI are most likely of those to move, based off my conversations.Two other side notes:
-6 NYG would love to move up for Maye but not likely to happen. If stuck at 6, I keep hearing Odunze over Nabers.
-7 TEN is most likely… https://t.co/V5YsFSd5rD— Todd McShay (@McShay13) April 24, 2024
Despite the smoke surrounding the Falcons’ interest in Michael Penix, they would be fools to take a quarterback in the first round after just signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal. An offensive tackle could be in play, but Jake Matthews has been a stalwart at left tackle for a decade, and Kaleb McGary is coming off one of his best seasons. The Falcons could use another wide receiver to pair with Drake London and Darnell Mooney, but it’s not nearly as glaring of a need as cornerback or EDGE.
Strap in, Falcons fans. Tonight is set up to be a doozy.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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