Donavan Ellison Coaching Operations Assistant | Atlanta Falcons Website
Donavan Ellison Coaching Operations Assistant | Atlanta Falcons Website
The Atlanta Falcons find themselves in a challenging position with only five selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. Holding the fewest picks in franchise history, the team is exploring options to increase their draft capital. General Manager Terry Fontenot has indicated openness to trading down from their current No. 15 spot to secure more selections.
"We can pick up some draft picks," Fontenot stated during a press conference. "We're picking at 15, so obviously we can move down and pick up more capital in the first or second round or wherever that is, and so we'll have those discussions and determine."
The 2025 draft class is characterized by a lack of elite prospects, creating a consensus that the best value lies in the late first to third rounds. According to NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe, "This doesn't feel like the year (teams) are going to make a big trade-up splash. If anything, that you're going to trade back."
The Falcons face the challenge of finding a trading partner willing to move up. NFL reporter Albert Breer emphasized the need for clear reasoning behind a team's decision to move up: "The question becomes, what is someone moving up for? If you are at a point in the draft where it is really flat, and teams are saying there's not a big difference, well then you need a run on a position."
The Falcons are considering the potential benefits of trading back and the possibility of involving a player from their roster to obtain extra draft capital. Under Fontenot's management, the team has yet to make a first-round draft trade, but this situation might require a new strategy.
Breer added, "If they can find a way to recoup the (third-round) pick they lost there in that (Matthew Judon) trade, based on the makeup of the class, I think that's something you'd be looking to do. Again, it's going to boil down to there being something there for somebody to come up and get."
The team will be evaluating their options in the weeks leading up to the draft, considering the immediate impacts on both offense and defense.
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