‘Trader Tom’ keeps streak intact as Falcons add offense

FLOWERY BRANCH — Through more than a decade as Atlanta Falcons general manager, Thomas Dimitroff has always found a way to make a least one trade during the NFL draft.

Trader Tom kept his record intact Saturday.

For the 11th straight draft, Dimitroff found a willing partner, dealing Atlanta’s two seventh-round picks to the Los Angeles Rams for a sixth-round selection used on LSU receiver Russell Gage.

Dimitroff said the offer from Rams GM Les Snead, the former Falcons director of pro personnel, “fell into our laps ... out of the blue.”

Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who seemed to enjoy Dimitroff’s streak remaining intact, joked that he sent Snead a text just to keep the run going.

Without that call from Snead, Dimitroff said his streak “very well might have ended.”

“Honestly, I was kind of in this groove where I was thinking ‘This is it. We’re moving on from the trade,’” he said.

Quinn said it is “fun to watch and see” Dimitroff complete a draft-day deal.

“He is like a quarterback you want to see in a two-minute situation where he doesn’t get all frantic,” Quinn said. “The clock is running down and he’s still talking on the phone . ... It’s really in that setting he’s at his best.”

Dimitroff believed Gage was an important pick for the Falcons, even after the team selected Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley in the first round. Gage is expected to play a key role on special teams.

Atlanta sought to add depth behind receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu after losing Taylor Gabriel and Andre Roberts.

The Falcons bolstered their offensive depth by selecting running back Ito Smith from Southern Mississippi in the fourth round before adding Gage in the sixth round.

Atlanta closed its draft by selecting Yale linebacker Foye Oluokun later in the sixth round.