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The Falcons have made at least one trade in each of General Manager Thomas Dimitroff’s seven drafts in charge, some of them bigger than others.

And according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the next one might be to acquire the pass-rusher they’ve needed for a few years.

With the traditional “it shouldn’t be a surprise” qualifier, Ledbetter suggests the target is Florida defensive end Dante Fowler.

New Falcons coach Dan Quinn recruited Fowler when he was a Gators assistant and coached him two years, but the need goes beyond their familiarity. The Falcons badly need to find a pass-rusher to go along with their defensive makeover this offseason.

“There is a lot of discussions already about moving both ways with a lot of our peers in the league,” Dimitroff said. “A lot of it has to do with what goes down with the top three picks. That’s going to set the tone for how much movement there is into the top 10 and even in the top five.”

That third spot, currently owned by Jacksonville, could be the pivot for the Falcons, as the Jaguars could justify using it on Fowler, defensive tackle Leonard Williams or a receiver such as Amari Cooper. Then again, the Jaguars have sufficient needs that they could find a fit deeper in the draft, and the eighth spot would suffice.

Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell worked for Dimitroff, so there’s also a familiarity there that could help facilitate a deal.