Getty The Falcons could trade 3 draft picks for a Pro-Bowl WR.
Wide receivers will be on the mind of Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during the 2022 NFL draft. He knows the team lacks a genuine No. 1 target, but that player doesn’t necessarily need to come from the collegiate ranks during draft weekend.
Instead, Fontenot could flip some of the Falcons’ nine draft picks for a wideout who has already firmly established himself as Pro-Bowl quality. It’s a scenario envisaged by a Falcons reporter who suggests two picks this year, neither of them Atlanta’s eighth-overall selection, and one choice in 2023, would net a receiver already familiar with head coach Arthur Smith.
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Two Picks Outside Round 1 Help Solve WR Problem
Writing for the Falcons official site, multimedia features reporter Kris Rhim outlined a scenario where Fontenot could acquire A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans. Rhim’s deal involves picks No. 43 and 190 this year, to go with a fourth-rounder in 2023.
Parting with the team’s second and sixth-round picks for this draft would earn a player suited to Smith’s system, per Rhim: “It has been well documented that Arthur Smith likes to have big physical wide receivers who earn yards after the catch and can serve as stout blockers in the run game. That style of play sounds a lot like A.J. Brown, who Smith coached in Tennessee. Brown has become one of the most promising receivers in the NFL. He is entering the final year of his contract and is reportedly looking for an extension before returning the field this season. He didn’t report for Titans OTAs, removed “Tennessee” from his social media bio and released a flurry of cryptic tweets seemingly directed towards the Titans front office.”
The Tennessee Titans make an intriguing trade partner, since the Falcons dealt Julio Jones to the AFC South franchise last offseason. That deal yielded a second-round pick this year, the 58th-overall, a choice the Falcons would still keep as part of Rhim’s proposal.
Hanging on to a second-rounder, along with a selection in the top 10, as well as getting a Pro-Bowl calibre receiver, would be the stuff dreams are made of for the Falcons. Especially since Brown ought to hit the ground running in Smith’s offense.
Smith was the Titans’ offensive coordinator when Brown entered the league as a rookie in 2019. Their partnership proved immediately fruitful, as Brown ended his debut pro campaign with 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns.
Brown produced another 1,000-yard season in 2020, but his numbers dipped a little after Smith joined the Falcons a year later. Smith knew how to use Brown, who is one of the more physical receivers after the catch in the game, with Next Gen Stats showing only San Francisco 49ers’ ace Deebo Samuel outpacing him in this category:
Like Samuel, Brown is thought to want out of his current team. Samuel wants to be traded, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, while Brown is anxious to get a new deal and won’t participate in the Titans’ offseason work until he gets one, per Darlington’s colleague Adam Schefter.
Schefter’s report prompted trade rumors, but as Titans.com’s Jim Wyatt pointed out, team general manager Jon Robinson said he doesn’t “foresee that happening.” Robinson’s sentiment is echoed by ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler, who reported “the feeling is very much that Brown will be with the Titans long term.”
Robinson is understandably bullish about the future of one of his star players, but things could change if a team puts together a trade package enticing enough to encourage the Titans to talk.
The Falcons should be at the front of the queue of teams aiming to do just that, because even in a draft class loaded at receiver, they’ll struggle to find a playmaker as talented as Brown.
Brown Worth Draft Capital
Picking at eight means the Falcons should be able to choose from any of the prime wide receiver prospects in this draft. It’s something NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe thinks could happen, and he named Jameson Williams, Drake London and Garrett Wilson as the wideouts under consideration for the Falcons’ first pick:
There’s no denying Williams, London and Wilson are all ultra-gifted prospects. Any one of whom would represent an instant upgrade for the supporting cast around veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Yet, it’s equally true Brown would offer the same upgrade, only as a proven commodity. He’s also somebody Mariota knows well, with the latter beginning the 2019 season as Tennessee’s starter, before losing the job to Ryan Tannehill.
Both Mariota and Tannehill helped Brown become one of the most consistent big-play threats in the NFL. Numbers from CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr put Brown’s ability to stretch the field into context:
Trading for Brown would give the Falcons’ threadbare receiver room an established star, but one who is still only 24 and has his best football ahead of him. Any trade for Brown would likely require the Falcons to “release players or restructure deals” to make room for his contract, Rhim noted, but this deal would surely be worth the price.
Fontenot would also still be able to use the eighth selection on one of this draft’s top edge-rushers, another area where this class is strong. A pass rush that logged a league-low 18 sacks last season is as much a point of concern for the Falcons as the wideouts around Mariota.