Should Falcons Trade Down From No. 8 Pick in NFL Draft?
The Atlanta Falcons are waltzing into the NFL Draft for the second straight year with the No. 8 overall pick.
Last year, the team selected USC wide receiver Drake London. But this year, the team could be eyeing a defensive prospect with its first pick.
That could bode well for the Falcons, especially because this year's first round features up to four potential quarterbacks being selected ... Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson.
A team that could be looking to draft one of those players is the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers, who pick at No. 9. Teams looking to trade up for a quarterback may target the No. 8 pick the Falcons have in order to jump the Panthers.
There are three teams with legitimate chances to draft a quarterback ahead of the Falcons ... Houston Texans (No. 2), Indianapolis Colts (No. 4) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 7). But for teams like the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are in a better position to take a quarterback in the first round, a trade with the Falcons may make sense.
The scenario also makes more sense if pass rushers are taken with high picks and quarterbacks begin to slide. If only one quarterback is taken in the top seven selections, it could behoove other teams to make a move and target the No. 8 pick. The quarterback market will get hungry, while the value to take a defensive player later in the first round will grow.
It's very rare to have an inter-division trade with high picks on draft night, but it happened as recently as 2021, when the Philadelphia Eagles traded up two spots with the Dallas Cowboys to take wide receiver DeVonta Smith at No. 10, while America's Team snatched up Micah Parsons at No. 12.
At this point, the Falcons are in the exploratory process and all options need to at least be considered.
Follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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