Atlanta Falcons: 5 players worth trading up for in 2020 NFL Draft

While adding Derrick Brown or Jeffrey Okudah to the Falcons’ roster should be seen as pipe dreams, we’re now in the more realistic vein of who Atlanta could trade up to get. One player who might be an intriguing fit on the Falcons defense is the Clemson Tigers’ Mr. Everything Isaiah Simmons. He projects as a superstar in the NFL as the linebacker/safety hybrid.

Though linebacker Deion Jones is more of your typical linebacker these days, Simmons has the versatility to play up in the box and drop back into coverage as a hard-hitting safety. We have to remember that Falcons head coach Dan Quinn stems from the Pete Carroll coaching tree up in Seattle. Not to say Simmons is the next Kam Chancellor, but he’s a big body to be accounted for.

At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, Simmons is the type of player Atlanta can use to disguise all sorts of defensive packages. Is he a linebacker here? Is he dropping back into coverage? Is he going to rush the quarterback? The unanimous All-American won a national title at Clemson in 2018, taking home the Dick Butkus Award last year. He makes plays and will make the Atlanta defense better.

Again, Simmons is like Brown in that he’ll be off the board somewhere in the No. 7 to No. 10 range. It feels like he’s going to end up with a team like the Carolina Panthers or the Jacksonville Jaguars inside of the top 10. While a trade with Carolina isn’t happening, a deal with Jacksonville might be what it takes for Atlanta to end up with an incredibly versatile player in Simmons.