The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and General Manager Terry Fontenot and Head Coach Arthur Smith have some decisions to make when it comes to the future of the Atlanta Falcons. The major question surrounding the Atlanta Falcons heading into April’s draft is will they draft an heir apparent to franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, and will they do it with the eighth overall pick? The Falcons also have a lot of holes to fill on their offensive and defensive lines and in the defensive secondary as well. With the eighth overall pick and two second-round picks (43 & 58), the Falcons will hopefully be able to fill some holes right away with their newly acquired draft picks, but 92.9 The Game’s own Morning Show host John Fricke proposed something that could get the Falcons multiple first-round picks and a slew of second-round picks. Nick Kayal discussed, dissected, and debated whether or not the Atlanta Falcons should do what John proposed in his tweet.
If the Atlanta Falcons trade Calvin Ridley, Grady Jarrett, and the number eight overall pick to move down in the 2022 NFL Draft they could potentially end up with two first-round picks, four second-round picks, and two third-round picks. Now, that’s not set in stone by any stretch of the imagination, but you would have to think it’s very likely for the Atlanta Falcons to get a first-round pick back for Calvin Ridley, and maybe even Grady Jarrett, but at worst two second-round picks for Jarrett. Calvin Ridley only played in five games this season after leaving the team before week eight to focus on his mental health. Ridley never rejoined the team, and the Falcons never gave or seem to have gotten much of an update on Calvin after he left, and now all signs point to Ridley being traded this offseason. However, with Grady Jarrett the decision is a little more tricky for the Falcons. Whether the Falcons want to admit it or not the team is basically in a rebuild, and with Jarrett in the prime of his career at 28 years old, turning 29 in April, there’s a question of whether or not the Falcons will be contenders again while Jarrett is still in his prime. Grady Jarrett has been the Falcons best defensive lineman, and arguably their best defensive player for the past three seasons recording 17.5 sacks as a defensive tackle over that span of time, so the Falcons could stick it out with Grady, try to put some talent around him on that defensive line, and with Matt Ryan still being the quarterback, and an NFC South that no longer has Sean Payton and Tom Brady try to get in the playoffs next year, or the Falcons could embrace the rebuild a little bit more and trade Calvin, Grady, and the eighth overall pick in the draft. If the Falcons do decide to go that route and end up with two first-round picks four second-round picks, and two third-round picks they could maybe have the best of both worlds and get a nice defensive player along with their franchise quarterback.
Two first round picks would allow the Falcons to draft a much needed edge rusher or Grady Jarrett’s replacement at defensive tackle along with the heir apparent to Matt Ryan maybe in the form of Malik Willis. As mentioned earlier Nick did talk about this scenario saying “he wouldn’t trade the eighth pick”, but was all for it otherwise. It’s an interesting thought because if the Falcons did get all those draft picks, and choose wisely, maybe just maybe they could rebuild their defense and get the quarterback of the future in place while he still has time to learn under Matt Ryan, and who knows, with a weaker NFC South in 2022 the Falcons could still be contenders if they really hit on all of their draft picks. Is 2022 the year the Falcons could have their cake and eat it too? The first step is coming up on April 28th in the form of the 2022 NFL Draft.
