Falcons trade up to No. 26 for Takkarist McKinley

Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UCLA defensive end Takkarist Mckinley speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

As the reigning NFC Champions, the Atlanta Falcons don’t have many holes. But they plugged one of them by trading up with the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 26 pick to select UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley.

Welcome to the Brotherhood, Takkarist McKinley! (@Takk)#InBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/AcJcPohHKz

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 28, 2017

That’s certainly the kind of player that the Falcons need. As was seen in its collapse in Super Bowl LI, Atlanta had a hard time getting to opposing quarterbacks on occasion.

The Seahawks posted the entirety of the trade.

We have traded first-round picks with the @AtlantaFalcons and picked up additional picks in Rounds 3 & 7.#SeahawksDraft pic.twitter.com/7zw4ugtgDG

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 28, 2017

That’s a solid haul for Seattle. The Seahawks moved down only five picks and added two additional 2017 picks. That should help them land the offensive line help that they desperately need to better protect Russell Wilson.