5 key moments in this year’s NFL draft

This year, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot wanted a second pick in the first round and made a trade with the Rams, giving up their 2026 first-round pick and their second pick this year to select edge rusher James Pearce Jr., the player they’d planned to select at No. 15 before they knew that linebacker Jalon Walker would be available. The Falcons also received a fourth-round pick this year from the Rams.

“We came in this draft, and we wanted to make an impact on the team,” Fontenot said.

Then after the draft, the Falcons had to issue an embarrassing apology for their role in the prank call that was made to former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Jax Ulbrich, the son of Falcons’ defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, took the number off his dad’s iPad. The league is investigating the prank call.

The team let it be known that the elder Ulbrich would not be facing any punishment from the team. The league may consider otherwise.

2. Shedeur Sanders’ drop: Sanders, the son of Falcons’ Ring of Honor member Deion Sanders, was considered the consensus second-rated quarterback in the draft.

He wasn’t taken on the first day of the draft Thursday.

He wasn’t taken on the second day of the draft Friday and received the prank call, allegedly from the Saints.

Maybe it’s a generational thing, but who comes up with these cruel gags?

On the third day of the draft, Sanders had to wait out the day-opening fourth round, when no quarterback was taken.

Finally, in the fifth round with the 144th pick, the Cleveland Browns selected Sanders, who helped to resurrect programs at Jackson State and Colorado.

3. Georgia and Georgia Tech players (SEC/ACC): The Falcons drafted a player, Walker, from Georgia in the first round for the first time in franchise history. Georgia led the SEC with 13 players being drafted.

Defensive end Mykel Williams was the first Bulldog taken when the 49ers tabbed him with the 11th pick in the draft. Walker went 15th, four picks later.

Texas has 12 players selected.

Georgia Tech had two players selected. Tight end Jackson Hawes was taken in the fifth round by the Bills and was the first Tech tight end drafted since Tyler Davis (Jacksonville, 206th) in 2022.

Defensive tackle Zeek Biggers was selected by the Dolphins in the seventh round. He was the first Tech defensive tackle drafted since Adam Gotsis (Denver, 63rd) in 2016.

The SEC had a record 79 players taken in the draft, breaking the record of 65 set in 2021 and 2022. The Big Ten had 71 player taken. The ACC had 42, their most since having 42 in 2021.

4. Players from state of Georgia: Former Jackson State/Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter was the first player who played high school football in Georgia to be selected in the draft. The former Collins Hill High standout went second overall to the Jaguars.

He was followed by Williams of Hardaway in Columbus and Malaki Starks of Jefferson High in the first round.

In all, 23 players from the state were drafted. That was the third most among states and more than Georgia’s 21.3 average for the past 10 years.

Georgia finished second among states, if counting homegrown players. Three of Florida’s 26 players came from elsewhere to finish their careers at boarding school IMG Academy.

5. Green Bay held it down: How did 600,000 people squeeze into a city with a population of just over 100,000?

Somehow, the plan to hold the NFL draft in the NFL’s smallest city worked out.

The crowd doubled the estimated 250,000 by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Falcons fan Bowen Harbuck, 13, announced the Falcons’ seventh-round pick, Jack Nelson, an offensive tackle from Wisconsin.

Just over a year ago, the longtime fan lost his right arm after an infection led him to go into septic shock. Harbuck was set to announce the team’s fourth-round pick onstage, but was pushed back to the seventh round.