Falcons GM Open to Trading Down, But Draft Deal Requires 'Willing Partner'

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot is well-versed with throwing curveballs in the NFL draft -- after all, he tossed one with Michael Penix Jr. last year.

Fontenot figures to be in the batter's box for this year's off-speed offerings -- and he may strikeout swinging for a draft-day trade down the board.

"It just really depends, because you still don't know how (players are) going to come off the board," Fontenot said. "So, we can look at it right now and assess this draft, how we see it, but as you know, there's always curveballs in this thing, and we don't really know what's going to happen.

"So it's one of those situations where, yes, you do feel like there could be some good options, but you don't know until it really starts."

The Falcons have five picks, tied with the Washington Commanders for the second-fewest of any team, and only three of their picks are inside the top 200: No. 15, No. 46 and No. 118.

Fontenot touted the depth of the draft class, which national analysts say lacks starpower but has plenty of quality players. Fontenot believes that crop extends past the 257 selections.

Due to normal and medical redshirts and the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA after COVID-19, there's a wide range of ages and classes in the 2025 draft.

As such, Fontenot said there are more draftable players than usual, which subsequently widens the pool of undrafted free agency -- which Fontenot is considering the "eighth round" this year.

"There are going to be a lot of good players left over," Fontenot said. "So, we really have to attack undrafted free agency in the right way."

The depth will also force teams to be measured in their aggression of any trades. If there's another prospect on their board they like in a later round, they may hold off on giving away draft picks to move up.

It's a similar story moving down, where opportunity cost becomes a factor. Should the Falcons entertain the option of trading away the 15th pick, Fontenot said they'll weigh the players who are on the board and the compensation they're getting.

But it takes two to tango, and Atlanta can't guarantee another team will step onto the dance floor when it's on the clock.

"It always sounds good, and we're obviously going to look at it -- we're going to make the right decision for the team -- but you have to have a willing partner," Fontenot said. "You see, sometimes someone will say, 'Well, just trade down here and do this.' Well, is somebody going to trade? That's going to depend on what's still on the board at that time.

"Always feel like I need to say that. Sometimes, you want to do it and it make sense, but it's not like on the draft simulator, when you can just force the trades and do what you want. You know, this is real life. But that is something that obviously we'll consider this draft."

Fontenot has made trades in the second round in each of his four drafts as the team's general manager. He went down in 2021 and has traded up the last three years. Fontenot, who categorized himself as "more aggressive" with his 75% trade-up rate in four years as Falcons general manager, spent close to the first two decades of his career learning under New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who doesn't often move down.

The Falcons are willing to slide down the draft board this year, but the range to which they fall depends on the talent available at their spot -- they don't want to risk being caught out.

"If you're going to move this far back, you better make sure you have enough players in your stack and you're going to feel good about what you get," Fontenot said. "You're weighing, 'Okay, if we can get this player and this pick compared to this player.' And so it kind of depends on where you are.

"If you only have a couple players left in your stack, and you want to move down five picks, and because, those runs can happen at any point a particular position goes and then you've got three in a row. That's kind of how that happens."

Fontenot has drafted offensive skill positions with his four-previous top-10 picks. He said Atlanta aims to take an "impact player" with hopes there will be a prospect left in their stack who helps fix a need.

But the Falcons won't reach. And Fontenot, who acknowledged there's pressure in every draft, is steadfast on maximizing Atlanta's limited resources.

"You got to get the picks right," Fontenot said. "At the end of the day, right now, we got five draft picks. You can look at historical numbers, and every year, there's going to be first round picks that don't play well, and there's going to be undrafted free agents that end up being really good players.

"So, you have to get the picks right. Regardless of if we make five picks and get 10 players in undrafted free agency, whatever it is, it's about getting the picks right."

In addition to their picks in the first, second and fourth rounds, the Falcons have two seventh-round choices. Atlanta needs to elevate its pass rush, which finished second-to-last in the NFL with 31 sacks last season, and it could use pieces at each level of the defense.

The Falcons certainly have an idea for how they want the draft to unfold. But they're a curveball away from being forced to adapt.

Fontenot wants to hit as many picks as he can over the draft's seven rounds and beyond. The question, however, is how many at-bats he'll get.

"If there's trades available, if you can move down in the first or second round and it makes sense to us, we'll do it," Fontenot said. "But we'll also have the confidence and conviction to take that player off the board if it makes sense to us."