The Atlanta Falcons are in a "win-now" window. After making the bold move for Kirk Cousins during the NFL's free agency period in March, they ushered in new levels of expectation for their success in year one of Raheem Morris' tenure as head coach.
Now, on the day of the NFL Draft kicking off, the Falcons must get it right.
"I think it's one of the most important drafts for the Falcons in many years," Joe Patrick said during 92.9 The Game's hour long NFL draft roundtable on Thursday. "When you're going through the rebuilding process when they had to tear things down and eat this dead cap, at that point you're just kind of acquiring the best talent possible.
"This draft, now you've got Kirk Cousins at the helm. You're paying a lot of guys money and you're in a winning situation. [Now,] you've got to find the pieces that are going to come in and really help you win right away."
The window should be open for Atlanta through the next three seasons. With a 35-year-old quarterback and plenty of high-end skill players on the roster, the impetus to nail the top of the draft is at an all-time high.
"They need to win now," Randy McMichael said, in agreeance with Patrick. "You don't pay a quarterback top-end quarterback money, from a free agent standpoint, at his age and coming off an injury, and then anticipate a letdown sort of a season."
Atlanta has been building its roster on offense through the draft, and largely through free agency on the defensive side. You add Cousins to the mix, and everything elevates. Now, it's time to find that playmaker on defense who will take that unit to the next level.
"When you pay a quarterback that much money," Mike Johnson finished. "You just can't miss on draft picks. You just simply can't. This has to be how you supplement [your roster]."