What Could a Trade Down By the Atlanta Falcons Look Like?

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons find themselves in a rather precarious position.

Ian Cunningham and the new-look Falcons front office are putting the final touches on their NFL Draft board. With days turning to hours before the Falcons are on the clock, the franchise still sits with just five selections for this weekend, and none of those are coming in the first night of the draft.

They have needs, but only so many potential solutions can come from their current selection pool. If they want to maximize their swings, as Cunningham has so often mentioned, then trading back is their most appealing option at this point.

Easier said than done, because one crucial factor to consider is who on the board is worth trading up for. The Falcons will need a dance partner willing to make it worth their while to drop a few slots on Friday and Saturday.

This class is deep but lacks elite talent. Fans who want to see the Falcons trade back should hope to see some of those players at premium positions (e.g., a Ty Simpson) drop out of the first round and down to pick 48. An intriguing quarterback prospect could trigger teams to move up.

“I mean, they are quarterbacks here,” Cunningham said. “Some people may trade up and take some guys, whether it's the first round or the second round. We'll be prepared. We'll have a plan, and we're ready to go.”

In that instance, the Falcons could find themselves several potential dance partners, with teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, or Los Angeles Rams being in the market to draft a quarterback.

But the Falcons could also take advantage of the “positional cliffs” that Cunningham alluded to on Monday. While Atlanta could certainly use a defensive tackle, other franchises could pay a premium for the right to slide into pick 48 instead. Other teams may be looking to find an offensive tackle, wide receiver, or cornerback who somehow slipped down.

The Falcons, who have needed depth above all else, would be wise to listen.

What could that look like? The NFL Draft value chart gives the Falcons’ No. 48 pick 420 points (compared to the 1,150 score of their traded No. 13 pick). If Atlanta were to trade that selection, the return may not end up being as bountiful as some might hope – perhaps they could move backward and add a fourth- or fifth- round pick in addition to the pick swap. If they catch a team being really greedy, a third-round pick could also get included.

Cunningham could also look to shift the value from 2026 to the talent-rich 2027 class, and potentially score a more valuable selection in the process.

For the Falcons, the real measure of success may not be the top-end talent they secure this weekend. Instead, it could end up being how much value they can uncover.

Sign up for our free Atlanta Falcons newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news!

Add us as a preferred source on Google