Report: Falcons Swap Dl Ruke Orhorhoro For Jaguars Dl Maason Smith

It isn’t very often that you see two players from the same draft class traded for one another just two years after they were drafted, and it’s even less often that you see that happen with a player one franchise moved up for in that particular draft class. Yet Adam Schefter is reporting that the Falcons have traded Ruke Orhorhoro, the 35th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Maason Smith, the 48th pick.

This is a stunner for a variety of reasons. Orhorhoro was a player the Falcons coveted enough to move up for in 2024, and while that was a defensive coordinator, a head coach, and a general manager ago, it’s still jarring. Orhorhoro has yet to live up to his second round billing, but he had 3.5 sacks last year as part of an active, disruptive front. Smith, meanwhile, had three sacks as a rookie but none a year ago, playing a little more than half of Orhorhoro’s snaps for Jacksonville.

We’ll see what the team says about the move, but at first glance it feels like the team simply deciding Smith would be a better fit than Orhorhoro. While he was productive at times last year, Orhorhoro struggled quite a bit against the run, while the slightly bigger (1 inch taller, 10 pounds heavier per his listing) Smith may well be viewed as a better fit. Smith was a capable pass rusher a year ago despite the lack of sacks and is one year younger to the day than Orhorhoro, as well, so this would appear to be a new staff and Jeff Ulbrich deciding Orhorhoro was not an ideal fit for their defensive front and Smith would be an upgrade. He’s likely a better fit at nose tackle, where Orhorhoro was an uneasy fit in 2025, and a bit of a bulkier player for an interior that has lacked it.

Some of that is conjecture, though, and it’s a disappointing way for Orhorhoro’s short tenure to end. While he was widely viewed as a reach at the time—especially after the Falcons traded up—the talent was evident and Orhorhoro had flashes where he looked like he could be dominant. Giving up on that after two seasons without seeing whether that talent could translate into something special is always disappointing, and while he had no ties to the new regime and thus they had no concerns about sunk cost, it’s easy to see why Orhorhoro’s upside would have appealed to the Jaguars.

The same could be said about the Falcons and Smith, who was viewed as an intriguing prospect in his own right coming into the 2024 draft based on his size, strength, and quickness. Scouting reports mentioned a need for patience and coaching to help him reach his ceiling, and after a fairly promising rookie season, Smith simply didn’t take the step forward in playing time or production the Jaguars likely hoped for. The Falcons, who prize running an attacking front under Jeff Ulbrich that allows gifted defensive linemen to pin their ears back and go, likely see him as a player they can get more out of; the same is likely true for the Jaguars and Ruke. There’s certainly a mix of youth, raw talent, and promising glimpses from Smith to this point that suggest he can take a leap if he lands in the right spot. The Falcons have decided it was worth giving up a player drafted 13 spots before him to find out.

For what it’s worth, our friends over at Big Cat Country note he was a player the Jaguars clearly did not have as a big piece of their plans, as he was a healthy scratch multiple times for 2022 end-of-bencher Matt Dickerson. All that upside won’t necessarily add up to anything, in other words, and we should keep that in mind.

The Falcons are getting back a capable enough young player, regardless, one who they’ll bank on being a more well-rounded fit for their defensive front and needs there. We’ll wish Orhorhoro well and give Smith a warm welcome to Atlanta.