Should Falcons Trade Down From No. 8 Pick in NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft is rapidly approaching and the Atlanta Falcons hold the No. 8 pick. But could that pick be a little lower come draft night with a trade?

Jeremy Brener | Feb 25, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

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.

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Published Feb 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.