Falcons 2025 NFL Draft takeaways: Will Atlanta’s aggression pay off this time?

Sports

add

Terry Fontenot knows what other teams’ scouting reports say about him: the Atlanta Falcons general manager is going to be a willing partner for teams looking to trade down in the NFL Draft because he’s always itching to trade up.

Fontenot trades up 75 percent of the time, according to Atlanta’s own charting of the tendencies of league executives, making him one of the most aggressive general managers in the NFL, and he stayed true to his nature in the 2025 draft.

“I know, I know,” Fontenot said. “We went to this draft, and they had a whole thing where they sat me down and, and said we need to trade back and pick up more picks. I was going to try to get my percentage a little lower, but I haven’t done a good job with that so far.”

Fontenot said that Friday after Day 2 of the draft, and he said it with a smile on his face because he was so delighted with what his trades up in this draft produced. The Falcons traded away next year’s first-round and fifth-round picks in a pair of deals, but that’s a next year problem. For now, Atlanta is happy to have Georgia edge Jalon Walker (No. 15), Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr. (No. 26), Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (No. 96), Oklahoma defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (No. 118) and Wisconsin offensive tackle Jack Nelson (No. 218). The Pearce pick and Watts pick both came after trades up.

“I’m sitting here right now with Jalon Walker, James Pearce, Xavier Watts, we’re excited about those three players,” Fontenot said prior to his final two picks. “If we got five or six players that are different guys, I don’t know where we’d be, but I know we’re excited about those three. For us, it comes down to conviction on the players and clear visions for the players. When you have guys that you have that clear vision for and you have that much conviction on, you want to go up and get them.”

Fontenot, who just presided over his fifth draft for the Falcons, could be facing job security issues if Atlanta’s fortunes don’t change this season, but he dismissed the idea that might have motivated him to undervalue the team’s future picks.

“We’re making decisions based on conviction and love for players and knowing the impact they’re going to make on this team,” he said.

Best value pick

Watts was Dane Brugler’s No. 54 overall player and a projected second-round pick. The Falcons took him with the No. 96 pick in the third round. Watts had more interceptions than any player in the FBS the last two seasons (13) and was a consensus All-American both of those seasons.

“I just think it’s who I am,” Watts said of his interceptions. “I’m just a ball player at the end of the day. I go out there, and I make plays.”

The 6-foot, 205-pounder lasted until the end of Day 2 because of less than ideal athleticism and speed (4.58 40-yard dash), but he should be a good fit in the Falcons’ zone-heavy scheme. Watts models his game after new teammate Jessie Bates III, he said.

“I just think we’re very similar,” Watts said. “We’re similar in size. He gets the ball. He’s a playmaker. He can tackle well. So, I feel like we’re very similar in all aspects of the game.”

Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris didn’t dismiss that comparison.

“He’s very instinctual like Jessie Bates,” the coach said. “He’s not afraid to take those shots and take those chances when necessary. Ball skills and ball awareness is what you kind of talk about. This guy has both ball skills and ball awareness.”

Atlanta would have considered Watts with the No. 46 pick had it not traded that pick, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. Watts joins a safety room that includes Bates, free-agent signee Jordan Fuller and DeMarcco Hellams, and his selection reduces the chance Atlanta will bring back Justin Simmons, a starter last year who remains a free agent.

Most surprising pick

It’s not a surprise the Falcons took Walker. The surprise is he was available.

“He stands for everything that we think a football player should embody,” Ulbrich said.

The Falcons will use Walker, who was Brugler’s No. 5 overall player, primarily at the outside linebacker position before trying to tap into his defensive versatility.

“Part of his superpower is his versatility but sometimes that can be his kryptonite, too,” Ulbrich said. “He can do so much that as a coach you throw a lot at him. I want him to have an opportunity to master playing on the edge because I think there is something there that is really special.”

Walker had 11 1/2 sacks in his last two seasons at Georgia, where he won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker a year ago.

Biggest question mark

There aren’t any questions about Pearce’s ability. The Tennessee edge rusher was first-team All-SEC the last two seasons and led the league in quarterback pressures (107) and had 17 1/2 sacks in that time.

“You could make the case that he was the best pass rusher in this draft from a pure edge element,” Ulbrich said.

The questions are about his commitment to the game.

“I want to be convinced that he loves this,” one scout told Brugler.

The Falcons are convinced of that. Fontenot and Morris flew to Pearce’s hometown of Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday to talk to the player and his mother to get a final feel for him.

“We did a lot of work on him on the field and off the field and feel great about the man that he is and the player that he is,” Ulbrich said. “When he was still there late in the first, I was pounding the table. It just made too much sense.”

Remaining needs

Atlanta wasn’t shy about letting people know it was scouting offensive tackles in the lead up to the draft. The Falcons attended a private workout for Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas, who was the No. 9 pick by the Saints, and they also traveled to Ohio State’s pro day to see eventual first-round picks Donovan Jackson and Josh Simmons.

The Falcons don’t have an immediate need at the position unless they are intent on replacing Kaleb McGary as the starting right tackle, but there will be a need soon. McGary is entering his seventh season in the league and the final year of a three-year contract while left tackle Jake Matthews is entering his 12th year in the league. Storm Norton served as Atlanta’s swing tackle last year and is still on the roster.

Post-draft outlook

One of the reasons the Falcons were willing to trade away next year’s first-round pick is because they think they’re going to be better than a lot of other people do.

“I have high hopes for this team, and I am anticipating that first-round pick next year is low,” Ulbrich said.

Whether Atlanta can back up that kind of talk will depend on Ulbrich’s defense and the development of second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons’ confidence in Penix and their offense was on display this weekend — they used only their seventh-round draft pick on an offensive player. Atlanta was third in the league in offensive expected points added per play (.16) in the three weeks Penix started last year.

The defense was a different story. Atlanta was 25th in defensive EPA (minus-4.1 per 100 snaps) a year ago, prompting Morris to fire Jimmy Lake and hire Ulbrich. The most glaring issues were sacks (where Atlanta finished 31st in the league with 31) and turnovers (where the Falcons were 16th with 18 forced). The Falcons addressed those issues this weekend by drafting Walker and Pearce with their first two picks and two defensive backs who combined for 21 interceptions the last two seasons with their next two picks.

“The way we draft, we don’t want to reach for needs, but this class just worked out really well,” Fontenot said. “It doesn’t always match up where the need matches the board, but it worked out for us.”

Now, the Falcons just have to wait and see if this draft class works out.

(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

NFL Draft Day 3: Shedeur Sanders to Browns, Ohio State dominates

Sports

Next

trending_flat

Aaron Rodgers’ NFL future in freefall after Vikings’ shocking QB trade

Aaron Rodgers - English