FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — It's a common question for NFL general managers in the months and weeks leading up to the annual draft, particularly for those in the role for their first time.
Will you draft to fill team needs or select the best available player?
Each philosophy has its merits and disciples, and the Falcons have taken both approaches in the last decade. When asked the question during Annual League Meetings, Cunningham shared which side of that fence he fell on.
"Having been raised in the systems in Baltimore, I am a firm believer in best player available," he said.
To position the organization to act on that belief, Cunningham and his staff attacked free agency, bringing in 17 new free agents to "elevate the floor" of their roster. With no glaring holes, the Falcons will have more flexibility to draft their highest-graded players, regardless of position.
Barring any trades, Atlanta will make its first selection in the draft at pick No. 48 in the second round. That means 47 players will come off the board before the Falcons have the chance to add anyone to their locker room, which vastly increases the number of possible scenarios the team must prepare for.
In each draft, there are inevitably runs at certain positions. These runs often occur because teams feel there is a finite number of players of a certain caliber at one position — with a drop-off in talent after that group — and believe their current pick may be the only opportunity to grab one. It's a bit like musical chairs. If there are six linebackers teams feel are true second-round talents, and three have come off the board early in the round, the other teams must decide whether to draft the fourth player or gamble that one will still be there in the third round.
After becoming general manager in late January, Cunningham has been immersed in the Falcons' draft meetings and his scouting staff has been working directly with the coaches to better understand the players and skills needed for their units. He's also developed an idea of the larger shape of this draft class, including which positions offer more abundance.
"I think corners, there's some depth there; there's some depth at safety; there's some depth at defensive end," Cunningham said. "The cool thing is each year there are always a few position groups that are deeper than others. As it sits right now, I don't think the draft is particularly top-heavy. We are trying to find where that sweet spot may be in this upcoming draft."
Spending nine years with the Baltimore Ravens and learning directly from Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta taught Cunningham more than just an appreciation for the BPA approach. He also learned the value of having a large volume of draft picks in an exercise so largely based on projection and circumstance. With more fishing lines cast, the chances of getting a bite go up.
It's no surprise, then, that Cunningham told his staff this would be "the last year that we ever have five picks," and has since reiterated that he'd like to add more to the Falcons' total if possible. If the team makes only five selections later this month, it will mark the second-straight year and only the third time in franchise history that Atlanta has done so.
"He's going to take that Ozzie Newsome, Ryan Poles model of trading back and trying to accumulate picks," ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Jordan Reid told atlantafalcons.com. "… I think he's going to move around quite a bit, especially with them having limited draft capital. … If they do want to move back, I think Atlanta is in a great spot if they want to move around a little bit."
