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Trading down in the first round, amassing further picks and addressing multiple needs in the first few rounds of a deep 2014 NFL Draft sounds great. I don't blame a single Falcons fan who wants the team to trade down.
The issue, simply, is that the team's history doesn't suggest a trade down. Since Thomas Dimitroff arrived in Atlanta, he's moved all around the draft to get the players he wants, including Sam Baker, Julio Jones and Corey Peters. Most of the time, those moves have been up the draft board.
@JohnKincade 8 times Thomas Dimitroff has traded around the board on draft day. 7 times he moved up.
— Los Medina (@FrontOfficeLos) January 23, 2014
You can characterize this habit a few different ways, depending on your inclination. You could say the Falcons believe in their ability to build depth through limited picks and undrafted free agents, or you could suggest that the Falcons trade up way too frequently, giving up quality assets in the offing. Either way, it's hard to argue with the notion that Dimitroff's philosophy has been to go get the player he wants.
While nothing's impossible—I caution all the time against saying something will never happen, i.e. Dimitroff landing a good cornerback in the draft—it does suggest that trading down isn't the likeliest outcome for the Falcons in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Instead, you could see them standing pat and selecting the best tackle or defensive available, or aggressively moving up for a player like Jadaveon Clowney. It would take a storm of non-quarterback picks to make me less confident in that prediction.
Knowing the history, what do you think the Falcons will do in May? I know, we're debating this in January.
