Draft week is here, and we asked Falcons fans which position they believe the team will target first. Unsurprisingly, the consensus believes the pass rush is at the top of the list.
It’s been a long road, but the 2025 NFL Draft is only a few days away. While rumors will come in fast and furious over the remaining days, I feel like I’ve got a pretty good read on things heading into the final countdown. While the Atlanta Falcons will undoubtedly make that statement look silly by the time Thursday night is in the books, the biggest need for the team is abundantly clear: the pass rush must be addressed.
That being said, the biggest need and the position that the Falcons will wind up selecting with their first pick are often mutually exclusive. You could easily argue that the pass rush has been the biggest need for over a decade, and yet the only two picks sent towards the edge were Vic Beasley (2015) and Takkarist McKinley (2017). While Beasley did have one outstanding season in the 2016 run, he fell off quickly—and McKinley found himself off the team and out of the league without ever making a significant impact.
Last week, we asked Falcons fans what they believed the team would do with their top pick. Perhaps unsurprisingly, fans believe Atlanta will finally add an edge rusher.
An overwhelming 66%, two thirds of voters, believe that defensive end will be Atlanta’s first selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. I’d have to concur with that thought and believe it’s the most likely scenario. The edge rush group is deep in this class and there are a number of prospects linked to the Falcons, like Mike Green, Jalon Walker, Mykel Williams, and Shemar Stewart. At least a few of those guys are likely to remain on the board at 15, and could possibly even be there after a small trade down.
“Other” was second in the voting, which could include offensive tackle, defensive tackle, or—gulp—wide receiver. There was a tie for third place, with both defensive back (Malaki Starks, Will Johnson, and Jahdae Barron are options) and a trade back both sitting at 9% of the voting. I’m a little surprised DB wasn’t higher, personally.
Perhaps Atlanta finally drafting an edge rusher will help their projected win total, which is sitting at 7.5 right now on FanDuel Sportsbook. Either way, I’m curious what your thoughts are on Atlanta’s first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Do you think we’ll finally see a defensive player taken for the first time in four drafts? Or will the offensive tackle (or…wide receiver) hype train take over Flowery Branch and keep the streak alive?