Getty Head coach Dan Quinn of the Atlanta Falcons and head coach Doug Marrone of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Just a few days out from the 2020 NFL Draft and rumors are spreading like wildfire. But there is a chance that some rumors could be more true than others, like the one about the Atlanta Falcons trading up this year.
According to a recent podcast with ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Thomas Dimitroff, Dimitroff hinted that he and had been talking trade with long-time friend Jaguars’ general manager Dave Caldwell. Caldwell worked under Dimitroff in Atlanta before heading to Jacksonville.
However, Dimitroff did clarify that he was just using a trade with the Jaguars as an example and he and Caldwell have not had any serious discussions about it.
But after NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport’s report on the Falcons looking to move up, it makes you wonder what’s going on behind the scenes.
One team that appears poised to make some noise with a move up is the #Falcons. They have spent a lot of times evaluating and talking to players who figure to be gone by No. 16… and when other teams do their projections, they believe Atlanta will be on the move.
The Falcons have various needs on the defensive side of the ball and a lot of the top prospects they’re looking at are projected to be gone by the No. 16 pick. The Jaguars have the No. 9 pick.
Trading up is Falcons’ general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s specialty when it comes to the talent he wants.
Falcons ALL for Trading UP
The Falcons didn’t hesitate when it came to trading five picks to move up and select Julio Jones in 2011 and look how well that turned out for them.
Last month Dimitroff joined Andy Burker and Randy McMichael on the “Midday Show with Andy and Randy.” Andy indirectly asked Dimitroff about making a big leap in the draft again this year.
Dimitroff elaborated on the importance of having to know your team better than anyone else as a general manager and coach.
“I understand the conversation that’s been circulating. I get that. We did make a big-time move for Julio way back when. I’ve always been taught through my years of growing in this business that the general manager and the head coach know the team better than anyone. The core of where you are, team-building, how you project moving forward.
We spent a lot of time back in ’11 analyzing our situation and knowing where the organization was, of course. Knowing the talent we had. Knowing where the contracts were and the length of contracts. It takes a lot of research in that way to decide whether if you’re going to make a once-in-a-career type move. Now, as we can say, when that was made, that was in ’11. That was 23 years into a career. Careers can be 10 years, three years, four years, who knows. Organizationally speaking, you don’t make those moves all of the time. They are really thought-out decisions.”
Dimitroff also emphasized that the player you’re trading for has to be an absolute ‘difference-maker.”
“When you find someone that can be a massive difference maker within the league and within the team and you feel like your roster is in the right place that you can potentially give up some of the so-called booty that you need to give up to make these plays or… making a trade up. You have to be very, very comfortable with where your team is as far as the roster and such. That’s what you have to be very comfortable with and you have to be very strong understanding of where your team is going into the future.”
Also, follow the Heavy on Falcons Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors, and content!
Will the Jags Budge?
The Falcons seem to be stuck on Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, or South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. If they want a chance at any of these prospects, a move needs to happen.
Now, the Jaguars and Falcons have yet to have made a trade in the past seven years since Caldwell made the move and 2020 could be the year. The Falcons were quite aggressive in free agency so the draft shouldn’t disappoint.
The Jaguars have a lot of gaps to fill, much more than the Falcons do so a trade is looking to be in their favor. But if the Jaguars aren’t up for trading, the Detriot Lions who hold the No. 3 pick this year are open to make a deal.
READ NEXT: Oklahoma’s Tackling Machine Linked to Falcons First-Round Pick
Comments
NFL Rumors: Making Sense of Falcons Possible Draft Trade With Jaguars