The Atlanta Falcons have spent four consecutive first-round picks on offense during general manager Terry Fontenot’s time with the team. Could they finally break that trend during the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Falcons have a particularly strong need on the defensive line, as they generated the second-fewest sacks in the NFL last season. The 2025 draft class is loaded both on the edge and at defensive tackle, so Atlanta is expected to target those positions early and often with its picks.
That said, the Falcons have just five selections in total. As such, they may like to trade down and acquire more mid-round picks to upgrade their depth along the defensive front.
Atlanta may also seek to trade Kirk Cousins during draft weekend. The Falcons have been adamant they are comfortable keeping the veteran – who signed a four-year, $180 million contract last season – to back up Michael Penix Jr. However, if they can move on from Cousins while acquiring some draft capital, a split may end up being mutually beneficial.
Such a deal is unlikely to happen until Day 2 at the earliest, as Cousins has a no-trade clause and wants to ensure he doesn’t land with another team that selects a first-round quarterback. Still, it remains something to watch throughout draft weekend and could ultimately impact how many roster holes Atlanta is able to plug.
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Here are the grades for each of the Falcons’ selections during the 2025 NFL Draft from USA TODAY Sports and the USA TODAY Network.
Falcons NFL draft grades
Round 1, Pick 15: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
- Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY Sports: A-
The Falcons have a huge need at edge rusher and take one of the more explosive players in the draft with the local prospect Walker. He played off-ball linebacker primarily in college before lining up at edge rusher more in 2024. Atlanta could use help at both spots and offers defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich a versatile piece on defense.
- Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports: A-
Behold, Atlanta’s long-awaited splash investment in its maligned pass rush. Even with the defense showing a little juice down the stretch, the Falcons had to do something to create the pressure that has been missing for long stretches over the years. Walker no doubt figures to be an electric presence as a blitzer, though defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will have to utilize the 6-1, 243-pounder to unlock his disruptiveness while still bringing him along as an off-ball linebacker.
Round 1, Pick 26: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
On one hand, Atlanta deserves credit for going all out to invigorate its pass rush. Pearce is a blur off the edge, and he has as much upside as any edge rusher outside of Abdul Carter in this class. But a non-playoff team parting with its 2026 first-rounder to get into the late first this year is tough to square. The Falcons might have the mentality that they’re merely receiving their Day 1 choice a year early, but this is a high-risk, high-reward move.
Atlanta had a huge need at edge rusher entering the draft and decide to get a true edge in Pearce. The Volunteers product had an impressive 19.5 career sacks over three years in the SEC and offers elite burst in a lean, long frame. The Falcons had just four remaining picks in the 2025 NFL draft so they sacrificed a future first-round pick to make this move up. They get a third-round pick in this draft to compensate but that’s still a big price to move up.
Falcons NFL draft picks
Below is a full list of Atlanta’s selections in the 2025 NFL draft:
- Round 1, Pick 15: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia
- Round 1, Pick 26: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
- Round 3, Pick 101
- Round 4, Pick 118
- Round 7, Pick 218
