Falcons' Cunningham: Drafting for Long Game

0:00It's April 8th, welcome to NFL News Today, powered by AI, I'm Cory with the story. The Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for the draft with just 5 picks on the board and none in the first or fifth rounds. That means second round pick 48, third round 79, fourth round 122 from the Eagles, sixth round 215, also from Philly and seventh round 231, short stack, but they're plotting moves to flip the script. New general manager Ian Cunningham is staying cool about it, saying worst case they roll with these five and make them count. He's already scouting trades, maybe dealing back or packaging current players on expiring deals to snag extras. According to him, this is just one draft, they're built for the long game. Cunningham cut his teeth with championship crews at the Ravens and Eagles under Howie Roseman and Eric DeCosta, nine years total shaping that winners. He wants a smart, tough physical squad here in Atlanta, star for playoff since 2017. Free agency?

1:00He's all about raising the floor, no flash he spends. This draft class has solid depth across positions, not super top heavy, which plays right into finding value later. He's eyeing sweet spots to strike gold, even without early swings. Falcons won't get caught short next time. Cunningham's locked in on stacking more picks through trades and future boards, turning Atlanta into a draft. Paying for years to come.