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It’s draft week! Finally, we have an NFL-related event — and one of the most important ones on the calendar, at that. Lots of draft talk in today’s edition of Falcoholinks.
Trade scenarios
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff has a well-established history of making trades on draft day, and there’s been a consistent level of smoke that he’s looking to do the same this year. Recent rumors suggest that the Falcons are targeting a trade-up for a cornerback, which makes a lot of sense given the departure of Desmond Trufant.
Some of the recent rumblings could also amount to a smokescreen or some clever gamesmanship by the franchise, effectively encouraging other teams to trade up.
But draft day deals with Dimitroff don’t necessarily mean a trade up is in order — the Falcons could fill their needs by trading back in the first.
We focused in on the trade topic in this week’s Falcoholic podcast, and the players that the Falcons may be targeting in a deal.
Pre-draft position breakdowns
So where do the Falcons stand on defense heading into the 2020 NFL Draft? Our Kevin Knight took a look at the linebacker, cornerback, EDGE, and defensive tackle spots to assess the positional needs ahead of draft day.
A season in jeopardy
Our David Walker and Matthew Chambers recently hosted epidemiologists Dr. Saad Omer and Dr. Zachary Binney for a conversation about the COVID-19 crisis and its implications on the upcoming NFL season. It was wildly informative, and also confirmed our worst fears: The season is definitely in jeopardy.
Whether it takes place in some kind of quarantined biodome without fans or in some protracted manner, the 2020 NFL season will look vastly different than any previous year.
Arthur Blank, to his credit, does believe we will see football this year in some fashion, and should that occur, the Falcons will benefit from their organizational continuity.
Brian Hill is back
With Todd Gurley, Ito Smith, and Qadree Ollison on the roster, there were questions on if the Falcons would bring Brian Hill back. That questioned was answered over the weekend, as Hill signed his tender and will officially return for the 2020 season.