Falcons took risk trading 5-for-1.

The Atlanta Falcons' draft-day trade for wide receiver Julio Jones was bold. With hopes of adding explosiveness to Matt Ryan's offensive arsenal, they traded their No. 1, a No. 2 and No. 4 in 2011 and a No. 1 and a No. 4 in 2012. They moved up from 27th in the first round to get Jones at No. 6.Five-for-one swaps are rare and they are risky, particularly when dealing with young receivers. Atlanta Falcons Jerseys Perhaps the last trade this big for a rookie receiver was when the San Francisco 49ers moved up to get J.J. Stokes in 1995. Like the Falcons, the 49ers were a playoff team trying to get over the top.The 49ers were at the 30th pick. To move up to the 10th pick, the 49ers had to give up their first, a No. 3 and a No. 4 in 1995 and No. 1 in 1996. Stokes, unfortunately for the 49ers, wasn't that last piece. He had a 10-year career but never did better than a 770-yard season. He averaged 12.6 yards a catch during his career.What ended up putting the 49ers back over the top was lucking into Terrell Owens in the third round the next season.
In the NFC South, teams such as the Falcons must be aggressive. The Saints are loaded on offense. The Bucs are rising quickly because of their youth and talent. But can one receiver make that much of a difference? Maybe not.The Falcons still need a pass-rushing defensive end. If the NFL eventually must implement the 2010 free-agency system -- in which players need six years to become unrestricted -- the Falcons may have to work a trade, further dipping into their draft-choice reserve. NFL Jerseys The pass-rusher to follow is Ray Edwards of the Vikings. If the 2010 system is in place, maybe the Falcons can trade wide receiver Michael Jenkins to get Edwards, who would be a restricted free agent.The chances are a lot better knowing the Cowboys didn't do anything in the secondary during the first four picks in the draft. Wisely, they took care of their offensive line, drafting Tyron Smith in the first round and guard David Arkin in the fourth. I thought all along that they wouldn't do anything at cornerback because they liked their top three corners. Safety is a different position. They need help there.
You have to figure that the Raiders' Huff is high on their list, but they won't be able to get him if teams are operating under the 2010 rules because he won't be an unrestricted free agent. Only players with six years of experience will be free agents under the 2010 system. Huff has been in the league five.Judging by developments of late in owner-player negotiations, there are a lot of parts of the game that need to be greased. No one, though, seems too concerned about the fans who directly as ticket purchasers or indirectly by buying what advertisers and teams are selling are still the backbone of the league. NFL Jerseys From China Without a backbone, the league will collapse. That said, a weakness in the game,Cheap Gucci T-shirt, as far as many fans are concerned, is the so-called "victory formation" and up to four quarterback kneel-downs by the leading team to run out the clock. Why doesn't the NFL consider a rule change that in order to keep the clock running within the two-minute warning, the ball needs to leave the quarterback's hands with a positive gain, or, if the ball is kept by the QB, he must cross the line of scrimmage? Those plays at the end of a close game should be among the most exciting rather than boring anticlimaxes. Why not play football until the game's end rather than slowing down before the finish line?