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NFL Draft Rumors: Falcons calling Raiders with trade offer for No. 4 pick?

By Josh Hill

Dec 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; A Atlanta Falcons helmet rest on the field prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; A Atlanta Falcons helmet rest on the field prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Falcons like to be aggressive in the NFL Draft, and talk of the team trading into the Top 5 is hardly surprising. 

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All offseason long, teams in the NFL have been jockeying for positioning in a draft that won’t take place until Thursday — but there’s been plenty of late movement. The best drafting teams don’t tip their hands until the 11th hour, and that’s what the Atlanta Falcons are finally doing.

General Manager Thomas Dimitrioff has been sitting on his hands when it comes to draft speculation, but in recent days the Falcons have entered the trade-up conversation in a big way.

According to John Clayton from ESPN, the Atlanta Falcons seem very interested in moving up in the draft and could be calling the Oakland Raiders about sliding into the No. 4 overall slot to draft Dante Fowler.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the Falcons trying to move up and it wouldn’t be the first time that they made a draft day trade that changed up the order of things. Atlanta is currently selecting No. 8 overall and would be moving up only four slots, so unlike other years they’ve moved up the board they have more ammo to do so this year.

Their trade for Julio Jones a few years ago still remains one of the biggest draft day shockers of all-time, and it established Thomas Dimitrioff as a guy who isn’t afraid to move up the draft board to get who he wants.

Oakland is eyeing Leonard Williams at No. 4 overall, but there’s a good chance that the Jacksonville Jaguars select him a spot ahead of the Raiders. This would leave Dante Fowler on the board and there for the picking if Oakland wanted him or wanted to trade with someone who does.

There’s also speculation that Fowler could fall out of the first-round, as Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both had him falling hard in their mock drafts. That would mean that Atlanta could stay put at No. 8 and still get him, but the NFL Draft is an event where you get aggressive if you want someone.

Atlanta has established a history of drafting aggressively, and talk of them moving up inside of the Top 5 is hardly surprising.

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