It appears the final piece of the Atlanta Falcons defensive puzzle will come by way of the NFL Draft. The Falcons are still in search of a pass rusher and depth at the line and with most of the free agent talent signed off the market, the Falcons are looking to get the best rookie available. However in order to do so, general manager Thomas Dimitroff will have to pull off a trade up.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Falcons are seeking a deal to trade up from the No. 6 pick. Any move up will not come cheap for Atlanta given this is regarded as a deep draft. If a deal is going to be possible, the Falcons will have to target a team not interested in grabbing a quarterback. The St. Louis Rams have the No. 2 pick and the Oakland Raiders have the No. 5 pick. Both teams are not likely going to be grabbing a quarterback in the first round which could help the Falcons move up.
The Atlanta Falcons are no stranger to big draft moves. Just a few seasons ago, Dimitroff pulled off a move to grab wide receiver Julio Jones and that worked out well for the team. Could they do the same for a player like Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack?
Dimitroff has not been shy about his love for Clowney. The general manager referred to the former South Carolina star as a "marquee" pass rusher that will excel at the next level.
"When I first heard that he was the best that people had seen in 20 years or whenever, I was skeptical because I never fall into the trap of comparing people over that many years. But obviously, he is an incredible talent with wild upside. He's going to be a very big contributor on a football team from Day 1. We all know that. The league knows that," Dimitroff said, via Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Mack would be another solid addition. The linebacker has the top athleticism to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense or be a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. His flexibility would work well for the Atlanta Falcons.
While the Falcons continue to look at rookies to finish off their defense, the team is making sure two of its current stars stay put. Atlanta announced that both Osi Umenyiora and Kroy Biermann will both be coming back at the original salary numbers. It was speculated the team would request that both stars lower their salaries in order to stay with the team. It appears that come May, the Falcons will have newly re-tooled and strong defensive unit.