The Falcons were dead set on coming out of the NFL draft with one of the top two wide receivers on the board.
Before they pulled off the deal with the Browns that brought them Julio Jones, Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the team offered the same package to the Bengals for the fourth pick. We can’t know for sure if they would have selected Jones or A.J. Green with that pick, but word is that Atlanta was interested in both receivers before the draft.
“We spoke with Atlanta numerous times over the last week but just felt good at not moving back to 27,” said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. “It’s more than what we were willing to do and felt good about the player we were going to stay at four and that’s where they wanted to go and pick that player.”
The Falcons traded their first-, second- and fourth-round picks this year and next year’s first and fourth to the Browns for the sixth overall pick this year. The two Ohio teams showed very different ideas about how to avoid picking this high in the draft in the years to come and it will take a few of those years before we know which route was the correct one.
