The Atlanta Falcons have arrived at a tumultuous offseason that was set up by some poor decisions in previous years. Last year’s debacle featured a massive free-agent blunder with Kirk Cousins and it made things difficult to build around the new quarterback of the future, Michael Penix Jr.
The decisions aren’t limited to salary cap restrictions. The Falcons enter the 2025 NFL Draft with just five selections and may be looking to add more when the event begins on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
In this article, we’ll look at the draft picks the Falcons have and how Atlanta lit their picks on fire ahead of an important three days in Wisconsin.
- 2025 Falcons Draft Picks
- What Happened to the Falcons’ Original Draft Picks?
- How Did The Falcons Acquire Their Additional Picks?
- Team Needs
2025 Falcons Draft Picks
Round | Pick | Overall | Traded From |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | 15 | - |
2 | 14 | 46 | - |
4 | 16 | 118 | - |
7 | 2 | 218 | Cleveland |
7 | 26 | 242 | Los Angeles Rams |
What Happened to the Falcons’ Original Draft Picks?
The Falcons own three of their original picks in the upcoming draft including their first- (15th overall), second- (46th overall), and fourth-round (118th overall selections). When it comes to the rest of the picks, you might want to sit down.
The Falcons lost their fifth-round pick as the result of a tampering investigation surrounding Cousins last offseason. The investigation came about when Cousins revealed that he had contact with the team trainers ahead of the approved tampering date, adding another black mark to one of the worst free agent signings in NFL history.
Atlanta also lit their third-round pick (77th overall) on fire by sending it to the New England Patriots to acquire Matthew Judon. Seen as an answer to a struggling pass-rush, Judon regressed coming off a torn Achilles, logging 41 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and an interception in his lone season with the Falcons.
A 2023 trade got rid of the Falcons’ sixth-round pick (190th overall) as they acquired Van Jefferson from the Los Angeles Rams. Like Judon, Jefferson didn’t make much of an impact, catching 12 passes for 101 yards before spending last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
How Did The Falcons Acquire Their Additional Picks?
The Falcons netted the Rams’ seventh-rounder (242nd overall) in the Jefferson trade and added the Cleveland Browns’s seventh-rounder (218th overall) when they traded Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Heinicke pick could have been elevated to a sixth-rounder if Heinicke received an unspecified amount of playing time, but he did not hit that criteria as a backup to Justin Herbert.
Team Needs
The Falcons have plenty of needs with little cap room and draft capital to address them. But the three positions they should focus on the most are edge rusher, cornerback, and safety.
Atlanta added Leonard Floyd to boost their edge rushing group this offseason and Arnold Ebiketie is projected as the starter on the left side after generating 39 pressures and six sacks on 336 pass-rushing snaps. Georgia edge Mykel Williams is currently projected to go to the Falcons with the 15th overall pick in their consensus mock draft but Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart and Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku are also possibilities.
Cornerback is another need with A.J. Terrell Jr. and Mike Hughes currently in starting roles. Texas’ Jahdae Barron could be a candidate to fill this need while Michigan cornerback Will Johnson could be selected somewhere between the mid-to-early teens in the first round.
Safety is the final need and may be the best option if the Falcons decide to trade down. Jessie Bates and free agent pickup Jordan Fuller are ticketed for starting roles but South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori or Georgia’s Malaki Starks could be available in the mid-20s if Atlanta can find a trade partner.