By Samir Ajy
This offseason is a crucial one for the entire Atlanta Falcons organization. With Atlanta’s offense
in a comfortable position, outside of the futures of tight end Kyle Pitts and the pending free
agent center Drew Dalman being up in the air, head coach Raheem Morris and general
manager Terry Fontenot have made it known what their priorities are entering the NFL Scouting
Combine. After spending each of their previous four first-round draft picks on building their
offense, Atlanta will likely head in a vastly different direction this year.
Longtime Falcons’ beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter noted Tuesday that the Falcons notably
spent all 45 allocated interviews on defensive prospects. Further, the team reportedly brought
no offensive coaches or personnel to Indianapolis, bringing only defensive assistants. This
report indicates a drastic shift from what Falcons fans are familiar with, hinting at another
defense-heavy draft for the team (Atlanta spent five of their eight picks last year on defense).
This year’s class is loaded with defensive talent, headlined by prospects such as Abdul Carter,
Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Mike Green, and Jalon Walker. With the Falcons currently
holding the 15th overall pick, it is unclear which prospects will be available by the time they are
on the clock. Likewise, the team owning just five draft picks this year makes a trade-up for a
blue-chip prospect such as Carter extremely unlikely. If anything, Fontenot will look to trade
back from their 15th spot and acquire more draft capital.
The Falcons have holes at all three levels of their defense, with the defensive line once again
serving as the team’s top priority. Atlanta has not finished in the top 10 in the NFL in sacks since
2004 (they led the league that year with 48). They have since finished bottom five in the league
in 10 of those seasons. In 2024, the Falcons finished 31st in the league in sacks, recording just
10 through the team’s first eleven games before showing improvement in their final six games.
Morris made it clear during an interview on Tuesday that if the team looks to improve
defensively, they must get to the opposing team’s quarterback. “This year, we probably got to
increase our pass rush, like we did towards the end of the season,” said Morris. “We’ll definitely
have an eye for those guys.” He continued.
Overall, if there was any draft class in which the defense should be a high priority for Atlanta, it
is this year’s. So far, the team’s brass appears to be treating it as such.
