2026 NFL Draft Grade: Atlanta Falcons -- B-

The Atlanta Falcons entered the 2026 NFL Draft carrying a roster that general manager Ian Cunningham had already reshaped in free agency. With no first-round pick after moving capital around in previous years, the pressure was on the front office to find immediate contributors in Rounds 2 through 7. The pre-draft needs were clear: defensive tackle sat as a critical hole following the departures of Grady Jarrett and Ruke Orhorhoro, while offensive tackle and guard were high-priority spots on an otherwise solid offensive line. Cornerback depth, wide receiver help opposite Drake London, and linebacker reinforcements all fell into the medium bucket.

Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski had to be efficient with limited bullets. What they produced was a six-pick haul that grades out as a solid B- -- a class buoyed by two excellent value selections in the secondary and at linebacker, but dragged down by a fourth-round reach that stands out as the clear low point. The best pick was a genuine heist. The worst was a head-scratcher. In between, the Falcons added role players who should push for snaps, even if the class lacks the top-end star power that a first-rounder might have brought.

Pick 48 (Round 2) -- Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson Grade: A (88.0)

This is the kind of pick that can define a draft class. Avieon Terrell was widely regarded as a top-10 prospect in the entire draft by most analysts, and the Falcons landed him at pick No. 48 in the second round. That is a staggering fall -- and Atlanta was the beneficiary. Terrell steps into a cornerback room headlined by A.J. Terrell but lacking a settled, long-term option on the opposite boundary. Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III, and Mike Ford are the primary incumbents, but none have locked down the CB2 job. Avieon Terrell brings press-man skills, length, and the pedigree of a Clemson defense that consistently produces NFL-ready defensive backs. This is a team picking at a position of moderate need and hitting a grand slam on value. The Falcons got a player many evaluators had penciled into the top half of the first round. It is the single best value pick in the entire Falcons draft and a major reason the overall class grade is as respectable as it is.

Pick 79 (Round 3) -- Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia Grade: B (73.0)

Wide receiver was a medium need for Atlanta. Drake London is a rock-solid WR1, but the supporting cast behind him -- Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Casey Washington -- lacks a dynamic, explosive threat to stress defenses vertically. Zachariah Branch out of Georgia brings exactly that element. Branch was a big-play machine in college, and his ability to generate yards after the catch fits perfectly with the wide-zone, play-action scheme Stefanski favors. The Falcons took him right around where most boards had him pegged -- fair value that acknowledges the need without reaching. Branch should immediately compete for the WR2 role and provide the kind of field-stretching presence that opens up room for Bijan Robinson on the ground and Kyle Pitts over the middle. A clean, solid selection that addresses a real roster gap.

Pick 134 (Round 4) -- Kendal Daniels, LB, Oklahoma Grade: D (40.0)

This is the pick that drags the class down. Kendal Daniels out of Oklahoma was a linebacker most draft analysts had slotted as a late-round or priority free agent prospect. The Falcons made him a fourth-round selection, and the grade reflects that disconnect. The need at linebacker is real -- Troy Andersen, Divine Deablo, and Jalon Walker are the primary options, and the unit lacks a proven three-down thumper after the likely departure of Kaden Elliss. But reaching this far up the board for a player who was projected significantly later is hard to justify, especially when other linebackers with stronger pre-draft profiles -- players like Kyle Louis, Keyshaun Elliott, or even Harold Perkins Jr. -- were still on the board at this point in the draft. Daniels may develop into a special-teams contributor and a rotational off-ball linebacker, but the opportunity cost here is steep. On a team with limited draft capital, a fourth-round pick that misses the value mark by a wide margin hurts.

Pick 208 (Round 6) -- Anterio Thompson, DT, Washington Grade: C- (53.0)

Defensive tackle was Atlanta's single biggest need on the board -- a critical hole on the interior after Grady Jarrett's departure and the trade of Ruke Orhorhoro. The Falcons waited until the sixth round to address it, and they took Anterio Thompson from Washington. Thompson is a developmental tackle with traits -- length, quickness off the snap -- but he was projected as a late-round or undrafted prospect by most evaluators. Taking him here fills a gaping roster hole, which earns credit for the need fit, but the value gap is significant. The Falcons passed on a run of interior linemen earlier in the draft, including players like Lee Hunter, Kaleb Proctor, and Gracen Halton, who went in the mid rounds and had stronger profiles. Thompson will get a chance to compete for snaps in a thin DT room that includes Brandon Dorlus, Maason Smith, and Da'Shawn Hand, but expecting immediate impact is a stretch. This is a swing on traits at a position of desperation.

Pick 215 (Round 6) -- Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU Grade: A (85.0)

The Falcons redeemed themselves in a major way with their second sixth-round pick. Harold Perkins Jr. was once viewed as a potential first-round talent earlier in his LSU career. A down junior season and some scheme-fit questions caused his stock to slide, but for him to be available at pick No. 215 is remarkable. Most analysts had Perkins as a top-180 prospect. Atlanta grabbed him nearly 40 spots later than that projection. The linebacker room gets an injection of high-end athleticism and pass-rush juice. Perkins has the versatility to rush off the edge, drop into coverage, or play as a chase linebacker from the weak side. In Jeff Ulbrich's multiple-front defense, Perkins could be a chess piece who creates mismatches. This is the kind of late-round gamble that pays off when the board falls your way. The Falcons recognized the value and pounced.

Pick 231 (Round 7) -- Ethan Onianwa, OT, Ohio State Grade: C (56.0)

The final pick of Atlanta's draft addressed another high-priority need: offensive tackle. Jake Matthews is still playing at a high level on the left side, but right tackle has been a question mark, and the depth behind the starters -- Storm Norton, Jack Nelson, Jawaan Taylor -- is unproven. Ethan Onianwa from Ohio State is a massive, powerful tackle who projects as a swing backup with the potential to develop into a starter on the right side. The value here is a bit of a reach relative to where most boards had him, but in the seventh round, teams are swinging on traits and need fits. Onianwa fills a clear roster hole, and the late-round capital makes the risk minimal. If he develops into a serviceable swing tackle, this pick is a win. If not, it is a seventh-rounder that did not cost much.

Overall Grade: B- (65.8)

The Falcons' 2026 draft class is a mixed bag with clear highlights and one glaring low point. Avieon Terrell in the second round and Harold Perkins Jr. in the sixth represent outstanding value -- the kind of picks that can elevate an entire class. Terrell has a chance to start opposite A.J. Terrell from Day 1 and give Atlanta a formidable cornerback tandem. Perkins, if he recaptures his early-career form, could be a core defensive piece for years. Zachariah Branch in the third round was a solid, need-meeting selection that adds explosive ability to the receiver room.

The downside is concentrated in the fourth-round pick of Kendal Daniels, a reach that cost the Falcons a chance to land a higher-impact player at a position of need. Anterio Thompson at defensive tackle fills a critical hole but does so with a developmental prospect taken later than ideal. Ethan Onianwa is a fine seventh-round swing.

This class does not have a first-round star, but it does have two players -- Terrell and Perkins -- who could outperform their draft slots significantly. For a team that entered the weekend without a top-50 pick and had to navigate a thin draft capital situation, Cunningham and company did enough to keep the roster trending in the right direction. The B- grade reflects a class with genuine high-end moments and one costly miss, balanced out by late-round opportunism. The Falcons will need Terrell to be a Week 1 starter and Perkins to contribute as a rotational playmaker for this grade to look better in hindsight. The potential is there. Now the development work begins.

Pick-by-Pick Summary