FLOWERY BRANCH — ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper was not a fan of the Falcons’ 2025 NFL draft, which netted five players, and gave them a “C” grade.
The Falcons made history by selecting a player from the University of Georgia — linebacker Jalon Walker — in the first round for the first time since the franchise started playing in 1966.
The Falcons traded back into the first round to draft outside linebacker James Pearce Jr., who they were going to select before Walker dropped to them.
Kiper noted that the Falcons had 31 sacks last season to rank 31 of 32 in the league. He pointed out that the Falcons have 169 sacks since 2019, 30 fewer than any other team, according to ESPN research.
“That’s why I — and pretty much every other draft analyst — had connected them with the edge rushers in Round 1,” Kiper wrote. “They had to come away from this draft with talent for new (defensive) coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to work with.”
So, they got off to a good start and then things went sideways. Kiper felt the Falcons reached for Pearce and gave up too much to the Rams in the trade. He had Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku rated higher than Pearce. He went at No. 44, so — in hindsight — Ezeiruaku would have been available with the 42nd pick that the Falcons sent to the Rams, and the Falcons could have kept their first-round pick for 2026 and had a better player.
Also, the Falcons passed on Marshall’s Mike Green, who went to the Ravens with the 59th overall pick.
“I can’t knock throwing everything at the pass rush, but Atlanta reached here,” Kiper wrote. “And it gave up too much to do so.”
Other pass-rushers that the Falcons could have scooped up in the second round include Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau, who went 45th to the Colts and Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton, who went 51st to the Panthers.
Other passers went even later in Oregon’s Jordan Burch, who went 78th to the Cardinals and Central Arkansas’ David Walker, who went 121st to the Buccaneers.
Kiper also was stumped by the Falcons picking two safeties in the third and fourth round when they had a need at cornerback.
“The Falcons used their first four picks on the defensive side of the ball for the first time since 2009,” Kiper wrote. “I just wish one them went to the cornerback group and maybe one of them was directed at defensive tackle. But the real hit — the key reason I have Atlanta (with) this ‘C’ was trading away the 2026 first-rounder.”
Billy Bowman Jr., the Falcons’ fourth-round pick, is slated to start out at nickel cornerback for the Falcons.
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