Report: Falcons swap DL Ruke Orhorhoro for Jaguars DL Maason Smith
The Falcons make a shocking one-for-one deal, swapping one young interior defensive lineman for another.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 29: Ruke Orhorhoro #98 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to facing the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images 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.
Sources: the Falcons are trading DT Ruke Orhorhoro to the Jaguars in exchange for DT Maason Smith. pic. twitter.