FLOWERY BRANCH — After trading Matt Ryan to the Colts for a third-round pick, the Falcons now have nine picks in the NFL draft, which is set Thursday through Saturday in Las Vegas.

The Falcons, who are slated to draft eighth overall in the first round, will hold their mandatory pre-draft news conference at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The draft will consist of 262 picks – including 39 compensatory picks – and tie 2003 for the most in the draft since the NFL went to the seven-round format in 1994.

Round 1 will be held Thursday, rounds two and three Friday and rounds four through seven Saturday.

In addition to holding the Colts’ third-round pick, the Falcons also picked up a second-round pick in the Julio Jones trade and earned a sixth-round compensatory pick from the league office for losing former center Alex Mack in free agency last season. They traded their seventh-round pick to Buffalo in the deal for tight end Lee Smith.

Overall, the Falcons have five picks among the first 82:

Round 1: Pick No. 8 overall

Round 2: Pick No. 43 overall

Round 2: Pick No. 58 overall (from the Titans)

Round 3: Pick No. 74 overall

Round 3: Pick No. 82 overall (from the Colts)

Round 4: Pick No. 114 overall

Round 5: Pick No. 151 overall

Round 6: Pick No. 190 overall

Round 6: Pick No. 213 overall (compensatory)

The Bow Tie Chronicles

AJC’S 2022 POSITION-BY-POSITION SERIES

WIDE RECEIVERS – Falcons need to upgrade weapons | Top 10 WRs

RUNNING BACKS – Position has become devalued in draft | Top 10 RBs

TIGHT ENDS – Chigoziem Okonkwo survived heart condition | Top 10 TEs

OFFENSIVE LINE – Ex-UGA lineman Salyer points to wins in SEC trenches | Top 10 OL

QUARTERBACKS – Malik Willis now top QB prospect for NFL draft | Top 10 QBs

DEFENSIVE LINE – Georgia dominates D-line talk ahead of draft | Top 10 DL

LINEBACKERS – Ex-UGA star Dean the latest test of play vs. measurables | Top 10 LBs

CORNERBACKS – Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner or LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. | Top 10 CBs