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The Atlanta Falcons made some major moves to revamp their offensive line Thursday night to open the 2019 NFL Draft, but it came with a cost.
After taking Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom with Pick 14, the team waited to see how the rest of the board would shake out before sending their second and third rounders to the Rams to get Pick 31 and Washington tackle Kaleb McGary and an added sixth rounder.
The moves add toughness and talent to a positional group in desperate need of some, but it makes for a quiet Friday night as the team now has zero picks until Saturday (when they have a whopping seven).
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff hinted in his post-first round press conference that there’s work left to do.
Thomas Dimitroff again alludes to the fact that the Falcons are eyeing a trade-up on Day 2. "We aren't just having a pool party here tomorrow,"
— Kevin Knight (@FalcoholicKevin) April 26, 2019
If the Falcons really want someone in the third round (the second is all but out of the question unless they trade a player on the roster), they could maybe slide into the bottom of the third (the Rams have two picks late and could want to add more ammo).
Getting higher up would take even more draft capital, but maybe it’d be worth it if Atlanta really gets a guy they want.
Positions to watch would be cornerback (Houston’s Isaiah Johnson has been bandied about as a guy the team likes, as is Michigan State’s Justin Layne) and pass rusher (Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby is a name to watch). You can look at our draft prospect list to inquire into more.
For now, it’ll be a quiet night for the Falcons. They made their waves Thursday and got the guys they wanted, but there is still plenty of possibility in store for a trade up. When you give Dimitroff a bushel of picks, he’s bound to give you some back. We’ll see if he makes another move when the draft picks back up tonight.