The NFL Draft is this week, and the Falcons are finally expected to take a defensive prospect with their first-round pick; it would mark the first time under Terry Fontenot’s tutelage that the team has drafted a defender in the first round.

The hope is that player is a pass rusher because lord knows the Falcons could use one of those. Over the last five years, 10 years, and 20 years, no team has fewer sacks than the Atlanta Falcons. It’s long been the Achilles heel of the team.

In fact, no team since 1982 has gone five consecutive seasons without a player reaching at least seven sacks in a season, according to Adam Schefter, who recently discussed the Falcons potential draft plans.

“What could the Falcons do in the draft? As much as anything, they need pass-rush help… There is a belief that the Falcons’ pick at No. 15 could be used on a pass rusher — if they don’t trade back. They have only five picks in this draft; if they can find a trade partner, they’d be willing to move back to stockpile extra picks.”

The Falcons have been connected to trading back by multiple insiders now, and there’s good reason for it. The team only owns five draft picks. They lost their fifth-rounder due to tampering last offseason during free agency and traded away their third-round pick for Matthew Judon.

This is also one of the deeper draft classes in recent memory. The Falcons can get similar value outside of the first 20 picks as they could at the 15th selection. Day 2 of the draft will feature plenty of starting-caliber prospects as well, and the Falcons only have one selection on Friday.

The Falcons should try like hell to pick up more draft capital, but they shouldn’t do it at the expense of potentially missing out on a prospect they love in the first round. It’s a touch-and-go situation that will likely be fluid all the way up to Atlanta’s 15th overall pick.

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Photographer: John Smolek/Icon Sportswire