Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick reports that Atlanta Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot firmly embraces his "best player available" (BPA) strategy as the draft inches closer.
"When you look at the history of drafts, you can look at a lot of times like, 'Okay, we really need a pressure player, so make sure you get that, but we can look back at drafts where someone reached on a pressure player and left some really good football players on the board at other positions."
Fontenot stated that the Falcons are open to trading up, trading down or sticking and picking at eight, Atlanta is "wide open" to the realm of possibilities, as long as they secure an impact player and improve the roster.
In the article, Fontenot gives kudos to Baltimore Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome and his ability to outfit the Ravens with consistent talent year in and year out. He did that by not "reaching for needs and just improving that football team." The Ravens have had only one losing season since 2016 and most recently took the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to the brink in the AFC Championship game.
At pick eight, the Falcons, presumably, will have their pick of impact player, whether it's their choice of a playmaker on defense or blue-chip wide receiver/offensive tackle.
This is a huge draft for Fontenot, as this is the first one for him without the head coach he got hired with, Arthur Smith. Owner Arthur Blank is taking a chance on Fontenot and his scouting staff, who have done a great job in pro scouting but have been suspect in their drafts.
Their best-player-available strategy has led to them turning a blind eye to improving the pass rush for three straight drafts. This will be the fourth draft in a row where the Falcons are picking in the top ten, the third in a row where they will pick eighth overall. If Fontenot doesn't hit a home run with this draft, you could see the seat for Fontenot start to get a bit warm.
