CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso released his latest mock draft, where he "embraces the chaos" that is likely to ensue in the first round of next week's NFL draft. For the Atlanta Falcons, Trapasso had General Manager Terry Fontenot on the phone for the better part of the first half of the draft.
In this mock, four quarterbacks went in the top five, including Michigan's J.J. McCarthy to New England. The next three spots had only two receivers taken off the board, including Washington's Rome Odunze heading to the New York Giants, leaving LSU's Malik Nabers for the taking at eight.
The allure of the dynamic nature that Nabers can bring to all three levels of your passing game would be too much to ignore for most franchises. Atlanta knows that and found an unexpected partner with plenty to offer.
The Buffalo Bills come into this draft with ten total picks they can use to start building the next phase of Bills football, including eight on day three. With all of their capital going toward adding much-needed depth, the only glaring hole that needs filling is at receiver after the loss of Stefon Diggs via trade. In Trapasso's draft, Buffalo sends picks 28 & 60 in this year's draft and a first-round pick in 2025 to Atlanta for picks 8 & 109 to move up to snag Nabers.
How about someone other than one of the top edge rushers for the Falcons? As for the Bills, they are too tempted by Nabers' fall and send No. 28, No. 60 and a 2025 first-round pick to Atlanta, whose GM Terry Fontenot does have ties to Buffalo's offensive coordinator Joe Brady and new quarterback coach Ronald Curry from their time together in New Orleans. Beyond the chance to draft the electric LSU wideout, the Bills get No. 109 in return from the Falcons. After this move, Atlanta would be overflowing with early draft capital.
The Falcons still have a major problem: No top-tier pass rushers are falling to 28, regardless of how much offensive talent is in this draft. Fontenot realizes that he can't leave out of the first round without a clear-cut answer to their pass-rush dilemma, so he gets aggressive. One of the needs for Seattle is an interior offensive lineman to add to this young, developing line in front of Geno Smith. The Seahawks would still be able to grab a significant impact player on the interior at 28, just as well as 16.
Fontenot trades picks 28 & 60 to snag the most technically sound pass rusher in this draft in UCLA's Laiatu Latu.
The Falcons unload the two 2024 picks they got from the Bills in Buffalo's trade up -- No. 28 and No. 60 -- to make an ascension of their own to land Latu. The Seahawks have a history of being happy to slide back in the draft. This works out amazingly for Atlanta, as the club gets a premier edge-rusher prospect and gets a 2025 first-round pick in the process.
To end up with Latu and pocketing an extra first-round pick for next year, which can be used to move up to find Kirk Cousins' successor or add even more firepower to the roster, would be a perfect trade-down scenario for the Falcons.
