Report: Falcons expected to move up high in the draft

It is no secret that the Falcons need cornerback help, and it looks like they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring in elite talent. There has been speculation that they may try to move up for the likes of C.J. Henderson, but based on a report from Chris Mortenson, you should not rule out Jeff Okudah either:

ESPN’s @mortreport speculating that #Falcons could be most aggressive team in the draft, move up into top-5 for CB. pic.twitter.com/XHQeBkakpX

— Evan Birchfield (@EvanBirchfield) April 20, 2020

Per Mortenson, the Falcons are poised to be the most aggressive team in this year’s draft, and whether or not you think it is a good idea for the organization to give up a king’s ransom of picks, it makes sense.

The Falcons’ cornerback group is razor-thin heading into next season, with Kendall Sheffield and Isaiah Oliver projected to be the team’s top options. In a division that features Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and new Panthers’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady — who built college football’s best offense last season — that is not a recipe for success.

In addition, both the jobs of Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff are on the line. They need to win now, or they are out. They don’t care if the next coach or general manager has less draft capital for future seasons. We’ve seen Dimitroff make substantial gambles in the past, such as when he moved up from 27th to 6th overall to draft Julio Jones. He may roll the dice yet again to save face.

Moving up for Henderson would be costly, but moving up for a guy such as Okudah could make or break this upcoming decade of Falcons’ football. Perhaps this is smoke, but it seems less and less likely Atlanta will be on the clock at 16th overall on Thursday evening.