Check out our picks, and share your thoughts in the comments.
We’ve seen some big swings from The Falcons over the years: officially closing the door on the Michael Vick era with the selection of Matt Ryan at No. 3 in 2008 and trading up for Julio Jones in 2011 are two fairly recent examples that come to mind. Even just last year, Atlanta stunned the world by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after bringing in veteran Kirk Cousins on a very pricy deal with an eye-popping amount of guaranteed money.
There have also been some big NFL Draft whiffs from this front office over the years, and that’s who we’re here to talk about today. Who is the biggest draft bust in Falcons history?
Here are our thoughts. Scroll down to the comments to share yours.
Jamaal Anderson, defensive end, 2007
Four and a half sacks on nearly 1,400 pass-rushing snaps. That’s a whole lot less production than you’d expect to get out of the eighth overall pick, unless that pick was absolutely not a pass rusher. Unfortunately for Jamaal Anderson, he was very much expected to be a pass rusher, and it did not pan out at all. Pro Football Focus named him the Falcons’ worst pick since 2006, and I tend to agree.
In his four seasons in Atlanta, Anderson did barely anything. He had 104 tackles — 83 solo — the aforementioned 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and nine pass breakups. He went on to have his best season with the Colts in 2011 — and his best season was three sacks. The Falcons haven’t had much luck in the past couple of decades with edge rushers who aren’t named John Abraham, and Jamaal Anderson is one of the biggest disappointments. – Jeanna Kelley
Peria Jerry, defensive tackle, 2009
The 2025 draft class has been all about the defensive line. Analysts have said from the jump that this is the year to bolster the trenches if you need help, and no one needs it more than Atlanta.
This need has made me think about how the franchise got here in the first place, and Peria Jerry has always symbolized the trailhead. He wasn’t Thomas Dimitroff’s first mistake—that lovely award goes to Sam Baker—but he is arguably the most impactful. He set the stage for what would become a reoccurring issue for Dimitroff: his inability to add quality defensive linemen.
Jerry would essentially miss his entire rookie season due to a brutal knee injury. He was never able to earn a starting role until the final year of his rookie deal, which was the final year of his career. He amassed 5.5 sacks over five years. To add insult to injury, Perry was drafted over Clay Matthews Jr., the cousin of Falcon’s ironman Jake Matthews.
Clay would go on to have a decorated career, during which time he was recognized as one of the best defenders and pass rushers in the league. Jerry, like most Falcons defensive picks, would be judged harshly not only because he failed but because the options around him were tiers better. I don’t like to succumb to the idea that a single player will make all the difference for a team sport like football, but it is hard to deny when looking back at the franchise’s biggest blunders.—Tre’Shon Diaz
Bruce Pickens, cornerback, 1991
People throw out Jamaal Anderson, but he was the eighth pick. They mention Aundray Bruce, but he was actually a quality player for a few years, even if he fell well short of being worthy of the first overall pick. They mention Michael Booker because he flamed out so spectacularly, but he wasn’t even the worst Nebraska defensive back the Falcons have drafted.
That would be Pickens. He was the third overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, picked just ahead of the excellent Todd Lyght at corner, quality defensive tackle Eric Swann, and great wide receiver Herman Moore. Even in a relatively weak first round, Pickens stands out as a terrible selection, as the fast but unproductive corner started in just eight games for the Falcons and managed two interceptions, appearing in just 48 games over the course of a four-year career with multiple teams. Considering the fact that he was a top five pick, the team badly needed a corner to pair with Deion Sanders and didn’t get one, and that Pickens basically did nothing for the franchise makes the ill-fated decision to draft him the worst in Atlanta’s history. —Dave Choate
Peter Konz, center, 2012
Peter Konz is saved from being at the top of most “bust” lists thanks to his second-round selection. Is Konz really that much worse than the Ra-Shede Hagemans and the Jimmy Williams of Falcons draft history? Let’s first take a look at the state of the Falcons at draft time: Matt Ryan was getting into his rhythm following a recent 2010 Pro Bowl nod; Thomas Dimitroff swung big on Julio Jones in the 2011 draft to pair with Roddy White; Jon Abraham was typically putting up double-digit sacks; Michael Turner just wrapped back-to-back 1300+ rush yard seasons. Honorable mentions go to William Moore, Tony Gonzalez and Jonathan Babineaux which highlights how absolutely stacked the roster was.
In 2012, the Falcons were short on picks thanks to the Julio trade. Knowing each pick was important, Thomas Dimitroff came away with guard/center Peter Konz, tackle Lamar Holmes, FB Bradie Ewing, EDGE Jonathan Massaquoi, safety Charles Mitchell, and DT Travian Robertson. If you’re keeping track, the whole draft class was a wash. Years out of the NFL, Dimitroff candidly admitted some late round selections were made on mere blurbs, or more problematically, Konz was drafted based on very little research. In short, Konz lands at Atlanta’s selection and gets picked mainly because he seems like a value pick who dropped. Instead, the rest of the NFL clearly wasn’t sold.
Konz first played poorly at guard. Thinking he’d be a better fit at his natural position of center, the organization pushed out veteran Todd McClure for a struggling young player. If you thought Jalen Mayfield was bad, Konz was worse, landing at 34 out of 35 centers by PFF his first year starting. There weren’t bright spots in his game — he just wasn’t up to play in the NFL. Even Jamaal Anderson was decent against the run while Konz struggled in all aspects. Konz setoff multiple down years for the Falcons as the offensive line spent years among the league’s worst. Tough to remember now that the Falcons are perennially out of the playoff race by mid December, but multiple years out of the playoffs for a team like the Falcons was a disappointment. Konz’s bust status cemented Atlanta’s three-year playoff drought. —Matt Chambers