Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said on PFT Live this week that he had discussions with a number of teams about moving up in the 2011 NFL draft. The Falcons ultimately traded with the Cleveland Browns at the sixth spot but also had talks with the Cincinnati Bengals, who held the fourth pick, and the Denver Broncos, who held the second pick.
NFL Trade Rumors: Did Broncos Have Opportunity With Falcons To Trade Down?
The Broncos, though, want to make one thing clear: no real offer was made to them. Mike Klis of the Denver Post, citing an unnamed source, has the story:
According to an NFL source, Dimitroff did call the Broncos about their No. 2 pick, but it was “weeks before” the draft. Many teams put out preliminary feelers well in advance of the draft. According to the source, Dimitroff said he would never offer draft-chart value in return for moving up from No. 27 to No. 2. The Broncos let him know they weren’t interested in trading the pick unless they got proper value for moving back.
OK. If I have the second pick in this draft, and someone offers me close to the right value, I’m pulling the trigger. The Broncos aren’t one player away -- they’re multiple players away. I think many fans would agree with that. So you have to take that into account when looking at why the Broncos are leaking this. They don’t want the fans upset that they didn’t trade down so they’re saying that there never really was an opportunity to trade down (and it’s also possible that they’re telling the truth and, in reality, there wasn’t a real offer made).
One of the best parts of the draft is the days, weeks, months and years following it when little tidbits like this get out. Hop on over to Mile High Report to see what Broncos fans are saying about it.
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