The Atlanta Falcons have done a great job in free agency in terms of addressing their most-pressing needs ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Round 1 starts on Thursday night and it sounds like the Falcons are open to moving out of the No. 8 pick.
At Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Atlanta has been talking to other teams about potential trades and will continue to, per beat reporter Tori McElhaney.
Terry Fontenot said they have been talking to teams about trades, and they'll continue to. https://t.co/3UYyneTe6n
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) April 25, 2023
In Fontenot’s previous two drafts as general manager, the Falcons have stayed put in the first round, although the team moved up in the second round of last year’s draft to acquire edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.
Plus, Fontenot hasn’t been shy about pulling off trades since taking over in 2021. Atlanta has shipped out Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Deion Jones, while trading for cornerback Jeff Okudah a few weeks ago.
The draft kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Watch Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith’s full pre-draft presser below, and make sure to check out our final seven-round Falcons mock draft!
Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot meet with the media ahead of this week's #NFLDraft! https://t.co/KZ98BJh1HF
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 25, 2023
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