One of the most talked about pre-draft rumors this offseason has been the possibility of the Atlanta Falcons trading up for Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The rumor got juicer Wednesday as SI.com’s Don Banks reported Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank has, “ordered” GM Rich McKay to do whatever it takes to land Johnson in this weekend’s draft. The most likely trade scenario is for the Falcons to package their first, third and pair of second round picks to move up to the No. 2 spot, which is currently occupied by the Detroit Lions. It is well perceived the Lions want to trade down and certainly would take a deal involving Atlanta’s top three picks.
I’ve been adamant for weeks saying this trade won’t happen. Atlanta has too many needs, not enough cap space and would be foolish in my opinion to trade three potential starters for one player. I’ll never argue Johnson isn’t worth it, because he’s a phenomenal athlete. But it’s not like the Falcons are one player away from a postseason berth, in fact, they’re multiple players away and when has Michael Vick – from an accuracy standpoint – proven he even knows what to do with a talent such as Johnson? To think Atlanta would be instantly better because of Johnson would be a gross miscalculation. The offensive line, defensive line and secondary all have to be addressed well before another receiver. This move looks better in “Madden” than it does in reality.
Blank should allow his general manager to build an entire team, not add one shiny piece to an uncompleted puzzle. If McKay makes this trade for Blank, it’s clear the Atlanta Falcons are only interested in one thing: selling tickets.
