Falcons Advised to Trade 2 First-Round Picks for ‘Transcendent Talent’

Jimmy Garoppolo and Deebo Samuel

Getty A key member of the 49ers' offense could be worth two 1st-rd picks for the Falcons.

There’s only a select handful of players in the NFL worth giving up two first-round draft picks to acquire. The Atlanta Falcons don’t have one of those players, although there are a couple of candidates who could grow into that stature in a few years.

For now, though, the Falcons lack star power on both sides of the ball, particularly on offense. There’s a paucity of elite playmakers, a problem the Falcons could solve, but only by parting with precious draft capital for 2023 and ’24.

It’s a heavy price to pay, but one writer believes it will be worth it to add an All-Pro before the start of the new season.

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Falcons Give Up 3 Picks for ‘Blockbuster’ Trade

The Falcons used the eighth-overall pick to select wide receiver Drake London. He’ll join second-year tight end Kyle Pitts to give Atlanta’s offense potential bookend playmakers for the next decade.

There’s plenty of justification to be excited about what London, the first receiver taken in this year’s draft, and record-breaker Pitts, might do this year. Yet, there’s still room for a premier target, according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay.

He thinks the Falcons should “add a cornerstone playmaker to the mix.” The player Kay has in mind is San Francisco 49ers’ leading light Deebo Samuel.

Kay knows Samuel won’t come cheap, but he has a price in mind that might encourage the Niners to talk: “It will likely take a massive offer to pry Samuel from the Niners, but Atlanta should be willing to part with a pair of No. 1’s and a late Day 2 pick to get a transcendent talent for its offense.”

Those picks are next year’s first and third-rounders, along with 2024’s first-round choice. There’s no denying it’s a hefty haul, but it’s equally certain Samuel would transform the Falcons’ offense.

That’s what he did for the 49ers with a terrific season in 2021. Samuel made 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, to go with 59 carries for 365 yards and eight rushing scores.

The rushing part of Samuel’s game should be intriguing to the Falcons. Head coach Arthur Smith and Dave Ragone turned one-time wideout Cordarrelle Patterson into a full-time tailback last season, with great success.

Patterson topped the team’s rushing charts with 153 carries, 618 yards and six touchdowns. He also played his share of snaps as a pass-catcher, helping Patterson amass rare figures for a player who has turned 30:

Samuel took the hybrid duties he and Patterson handled to another level. In particular, Samuel became an equal source of big plays on the ground as he was through the air.

The majority of his carries exceeded expectations, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, citing data from Next Gen Stats:

Ironically, it’s his success as a runner that could be motivating Samuel’s apparent desire to move on from the 49ers. He requested a trade back in April, per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.

The news was soon followed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealing “questions and frustrations from his (Samuel’s) standpoint about his usage.”

It’s a key point for the Falcons, who should think twice about mortgaging so much of their future on a player prepared to limit his effectiveness.


Falcons Not Ready to Accommodate Samuel

For two first-rounders the Falcons would have the right to expect the player Samuel was last season. Not that Smith’s offense couldn’t use a true No. 1 wide receiver.

The problem is London has been drafted to fill the role. It’s already the expectation of PFF ATL Falcons:

It’s also debatable whether the Falcons currently have a stable enough quarterback situation to get the most from Samuel. Marcus Mariota is trying to revive his career after two seasons as a backup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Yet, Mariota is still expected to start ahead of third-round pick Desmond Ridder.

The Falcons would be wise to go looking for a marquee wideout when they have a quarterback who won’t let him go to waste. A search like that will be better conducted if general manager Terry Fontenot is armed with picks at the top end of the next two drafts.

Going the draft route will be cheaper than paying the price the 49ers might command if Samuel insists on a trade. There’s still a feeling things can be worked out, per Wagoner: “the Niners remain cautiously optimistic they can mend that relationship and keep Samuel around for the long haul.”

Working things out will likely require offering Samuel a bumper new deal. Big money is in vogue for receivers after what players such as Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and A.J. Brown have been paid this offseason.

The Falcons would struggle to carry this kind of contract. They are also not one player short of making the jump from rebuilding to contending.

It’ll be safer and smarter for Fontenot to keep those first-round picks in his back pocket for future reinforcements, not only at wide receiver, but also along the offensive and defensive lines.

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