The Atlanta Falcons are going into yet another offseason with major question marks on defense. Despite trading for Matthew Judon, the team finished near the bottom of the league in sacks last year.
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich must find a way to turn things around, but he could use some help from general manager Terry Fontenot. The team has not drafted a defensive player in the first round in Fontenot’s four seasons as GM.
Atlanta’s offense is in great shape with Michael Penix Jr., Bijan Robinson and Drake London leading the way, but the team won’t become a playoff contender until the defense catches up.
The 2025 NFL draft presents the Falcons’ best chance to address this need and that’s what many analysts are projecting. ESPN’s Field Yates released his first mock draft of 2025 and projects Atlanta to take Marshall EDGE Mike Green with pick No. 15:
The Falcons are set to lose outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter and Judon in free agency, so Green could help mitigate those losses. The Marshall standout has earned a Pro Football Focus grade above 90 in the last two seasons. Green racked up 32 hurries and 17 sacks in 2024, recording a run-defense grade of 90.2.
While adding Green would be a good start for this Atlanta defense, the team must find more help in the middle of the draft and possibly free agency. Arnold Ebiketie is coming off a career year but will need to step up if the team wants to avoid finishing near the bottom in sacks again in 2025.