Falcons trade down, pick up selections and Iowa pass rusher

I have been avoiding mock draft trades for a long time now. I think they’re tough to project and a bit of fantasy when created in the mind, so I don’t do many. But we’ve reached a point in our draft prognostication that we’ve looked at tons of options the Falcons could select at No. 8 overall.

It’s time to consider a scenario where the Falcons would move out of the pick.

In this instance, a number of top options are gone and the Falcons slide down a little bit, add another selection and still get quality pass rusher who sure seems like a scheme fit.

Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness is the guy in that scenario, where the Falcons trade back with Tennessee, who moves up to take Will Levis, the last of the top quarterbacks available after three signal callers go in the top four.

The trade: Falcons give No. 8 to Tennessee for Nos. 11 and 147 in 2023, plus next year’s second-round pick. The Titans could be in rebuild mode, meaning that 2024 second-round pick might be high.

A top cornerback and a few elite edge guys are also gone, but the Falcons are thrilled to get Van Ness and them some out of the No. 8 overall selection. Let’s take a look at how the rest of the first round plays out in our fifth mock draft.