Falcons — 2026 Draft Recap

Atlanta didn't pick in the first round. Their headliner is a corner with a 4.66 Relative Athletic Score and zero college interceptions. Six picks, no first-rounder, four on defense — a front seven reset with one swing for offensive juice. Here's what the data says about the receiver at 79, the linebacker bet that defines this class, and whether a defense-heavy haul fixes what 2025 broke.

Start with the loudest pick on paper. Atlanta's 2025 passing offense finished at minus 7.52 in total expected points added with just 19 passing touchdowns over 17 games — they needed a separator. At pick 79, they got Zachariah Branch out of Georgia: 81 catches for 811 yards and 6 touchdowns, with that reception total leading the SEC and ranking 13th nationally. His per-play predicted points added — the college equivalent of NFL expected points added — was plus 0.50, totaling plus 49.62 on the season. That's elite separation against the best competition in college football. Then layer in a 9.04 Relative Athletic Score for receivers — a 0-to-10 grade comparing combine and pro-day testing to every player at the position since 1987. Top 10 percent of every receiver ever measured.

The second-round pick went into a secondary that didn't actually need rescuing. Atlanta's 2025 pass defense graded out fine — minus 16.87 in expected points added allowed with 57 sacks — but they still surrendered 27 passing touchdowns. Enter Avieon Terrell, the Clemson corner at 48: 48 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 8 pass breakups, fifth in the ACC. The zero interceptions is the asterisk you can't hide. Neither is the 4.66 Relative Athletic Score, which lands below the position median. The tape has to carry this one, because the testing isn't.

The real volume came up front, and the reason is brutal: Atlanta's 2025 run defense allowed plus 12.95 in rushing expected points added. Opponents won expected points on the ground every week. First answer — Kendal Daniels at 134, a 23-year-old linebacker out of Oklahoma. A former safety who played stacked, at the apex, sometimes deep at the line in the Venable scheme. Cunningham emphasized length and fluidity. The stat line: 54 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups. The 5.09 Relative Athletic Score is middling — the bet is positional flex, not testing.

The day-three swings are where it gets fun. Pick 208: Anterio Thompson, Washington defensive tackle, with a 9.38 Relative Athletic Score — top 7 percent of interior linemen ever tested. Modest production at 29 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, but Cunningham called him powerful and explosive with hand strength and instincts. Then at 215, Harold Perkins Jr. out of LSU: 55 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and an 8.63 Relative Athletic Score — top 14 percent. Stefanski cited the versatility, on and off the ball, plus special teams. Cunningham added that Atlanta's scouts had tracked Perkins since his freshman tape jumped off the screen. The bet: recover the player he was before he became the player he is now.

One offensive lineman closes the board. Round seven, pick 231, Ethan Onianwa — Ohio State by way of Rice. A 7.83 Relative Athletic Score puts him in the top quarter of tested tackles. Cunningham described him as big, powerful, good feet and balance, with reps at tackle and guard after the transfer. Swing versatility at 231 is the appeal.

Pick of the draft: Perkins at 215. You can argue Branch — cleanest producer, top-10-percent athletic profile, immediate-snap path. You can argue Terrell because that's where the capital sits. Perkins wins on cost-to-upside. A sixth-round flier on a former freshman phenom is the kind of swing that defines classes when it hits. Scouts had been on him since that freshman tape; Stefanski singled out the versatility. If even 70 percent of that early-career player shows up in Atlanta, this is the steal of the entire haul. If not, you spent pick 215 on a lottery ticket. Either way, the ratio is the best on the board.

The 2026 question: is four defensive picks and zero capital on the offensive line or running game enough to flip a roster that finished 2025 at minus 14.62 in rushing expected points added? The front seven got a real injection — Daniels' flex, Thompson's measurables, Perkins' upside, all behind a coaching staff Cunningham repeatedly praised as developers. But Branch is the only skill swing on a passing offense that posted minus 7.52 in expected points added, and the line got one developmental tackle in round seven. The defense should look different. Whether the offense holds up while the front seven gets coached up is the stress test that decides this class.