With the first three picks in this year's draft presumably locked in, if all falls to plan the draft really starts at pick four. That plan being, Trevor Lawrence number one to Jacksonville, Zach Wilson number two to New York, and Mac Jones number three to San Francisco. So the question stands, what happens at number four? Does Atlanta trade out of the pick? Do they take the best available player? Do they take Matt Ryan's successor? Let's take a look at these scenarios.
Trading Out
Atlanta had a rough season but are still in a "win now" point in their roster construction. Obviously they have Matt Ryan at quarterback and a top three wide receiver being Julio Jones with a fantastic complementary piece to Jones being Calvin Ridley. As for the defense it could use some work but not up at four. If you take a guy like Micah Parsons or Patrick Surtain II that high you are buying at too high of a price. They can find a sucker that sits between pick nine and 20 that will overpay for a chance to select their next quarterback of the future. Teams like Denver, Washington and New England are the target teams to trade with and the most likely being Washington. They have exceptional pieces at the skill positions and only lack at the quarterback position after making a playoff run last season. If a move is made I'd expect them to be the one who makes it.
Best Available
With quarterbacks being taken one, two, and three the Falcons have the pick of the litter at this year's draft. Receiver would be a tough sell to the fanbase already having Jones, Ridley, and young star Russell Gage, so that's out of the question. Reaching for a runningback or a defensive player might be to much of a reach. Kyle Pitts is the best available at tight end adding to the already strong skilled position crew, but the most likely pick and the one I like the most is Penei Sewell, the tackle out of Oregon. He's super athletic for being slightly undersized and I hope for them that that's who they take.
Successor
The best available quarterback would be Justin Fields who on my big board is the second best quarterback in this years draft. With Matt Ryan under contract for the next few years picking a quarterback would look like Kansas City's situation from 2018 when they picked Patrick Mahomes when they still had Alex Smith and that turned out pretty well. The only problem is with five quarterbacks projected to go in the first round one is bound to be a bust. So, why take that chance when you have a guy like Matt Ryan who is still more than capable of leading a team to success in a tough division. It's more likely than not that they don't take a quarterback, but time will tell.
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