The Atlanta Falcons' draft history is an ugly sight to even the most ardent of fans. This organization has ignored the novel concept of building in the trenches for years in an effort to build flashy teams to disastrous results.
2017 was the last year that the Falcons took a defensive lineman in the first round of the NFL Draft. Given the success of drafting guard Chris Lindstrom in 2019, you'd have thought the front office would go back to the well.
For better or worse, they haven't, insisting on building the skill-position group instead of the front line. That's created an imbalance that led to Atlanta fielding one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2024 and it's now time to admit a drastic draft-day mistake.
Falcons Take Advantage of Desperate Chiefs in Projected Kyle Pitts Trade
This projected trade sees the Falcons acquiring a 2025 third and seventh-round pick from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for former No. 4 overall selection Kyle Pitts. That might sound like an underwhelming return, yet there's reason that it makes sense for both sides.
From Atlanta's perspective, poor decision-making has left them in a bad spot. They have limited cap space available and a pathetic five total draft picks in April. Considering how many needs this roster has, that's a recipe for disaster.
Pitts notched a 1,000-yard season but hasn't lived up to expectations since. He played a career-low 62% of the snaps this year, seemingly indicating that the coaching staff isn't too fond of him. If the Falcons were going to sign him to an extension, they would've already. If they're not, why wouldn't you recoup some draft value to build for the future?
As for the Chiefs, they're dealing with Travis Kelce retirement rumors and don't have an obvious heir apparent in place. Pitts' athletic profile speaks for itself and Kansas City has extra draft capital to work with thanks to the L'Jarius Sneed trade from a year ago.
It'd hurt to admit such a major mistake, especially considering that AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain was drafted five picks after Pitts. Nonetheless, it's the right decision and Atlanta needs to accept its sunk cost.