The Falcons locker room suddenly got less whiny

It seems the Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders are close to a deal that would send disgruntled Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall to Oakland and a second-round pick to Atlanta. ESPN and the NFL Network are both reporting a deal is in the works and could be done within a week.

It's another chapter in the strange, but true offseason for the Raiders, who have all but mortgaged the team for a couple of unproven and/or washed up players. If this deal goes down, things look great for the Falcons, who could use all the draft picks they can get. The first day of the draft would look to be an exciting one with the Falcons picking No. 3 overall, No. 34 overall and No. 37 overall. The opportunities are endless for that type of placement on the draft's first day.

There is a lot that can be done with those types of picks and a lot of needs could be addressed in just a few hours time. Some Falcons fans seem to think the deal isn't all that fair to the Falcons. To them, I say take a closer look. With three picks in the top 40, the Falcons are no longer hamstrung to take a quarterback (Matt Ryan) in the first round. They could wait until the early second and take one there. The extra second-rounder, along with a later pick and a used mahogany desk, could also be dangled as trade bait to try to get back into the first round somewhere if the Falcons so choose. There are plenty of options at this point.

All the Raiders are getting is a chance to see just how much D. Hall gets owned on the field and the extreme joy that comes with listening to his whiny voice when things don't go his way. All in all, if this trade goes down, the Falcons are getting a heck of a deal, and the future suddenly looks brighter.