FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons, clearly in need of help on defense, are making their final preparations for the NFL draft, which is for Thursday through Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Falcons hold the 15th overall pick in the first round and have four other picks in the draft. They traded away their third-round pick for outside linebacker Matthew Judon in August.
The franchise lost its fifth-round pick for tampering violations in the 2024 free-agency signings of quarterback Kirk Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner.
The Falcons were in need of pass rush help last season but doubled down on the quarterback position and took Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick.
Pressure is mounting on the personnel department to get pass-rush help and improve the defense.
“The emphasis during the draft will be certainly on the defensive side of the ball,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said recently at league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida.
The search has been complicated by the fact two of the top pass rushers have background check issues: Marshall’s Mike Green and Tennessee’s James Pearce.
“Yeah, they’ve got to do their homework on those guys and get comfortable with it,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “I don’t get all the information that these teams get. So they’ve got to bring them in, be around them, talk to everyone around them and figure out if they’re comfortable with those situations.”
If the Falcons stick to just football, Green is rated higher than Pearce.
“I look at guys that would fit them and I think would be — as football players would be really, really productive,” Jeremiah said. “Mike Green to me is a skilled, gifted pass rusher who can win with speed and with power. Between him and Pearce, I would lean toward Green in that conversation.”
Jeremiah said he also believes that Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart is a player to watch for the Falcons.
“He has all kinds of twitch,” Jeremiah said. “He’s explosive. He’s disruptive. He just hasn’t been able to finish, to compile sacks. More and more teams ... aren’t focusing quite as much on the sack number as they are on win percentage, pressure percentage, where he’s more than functional there.”
The Falcons have heavily scouted the top pass rushers and offensive tackles in the draft. They sent a contingent of 22 coaches and scouts to Georgia’s Pro Day, including defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
The draft is deep in pass rushers and at the defensive tackle and running backs positions. The Falcons heavily scouted the offensive tackles, because starting left tackle Jake Matthews is 33 and right tackle Kaleb McGary is 30 and set to enter the last year of his contract.
With just five picks, trading back in the draft is certainly in play for the Falcons.
Here are five players on the Falcons draft radar if they stay at 15:
Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia
Williams is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. He played at Hardaway High in Columbus and was named to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Super 11 in 2021. He played in 11 games and made five starts. He ranked second on the team with five sacks and was named second-team All-SEC by the coaches.
Williams was slowed last season by an ankle injury suffered in the season-opening win over Clemson. He continued to play through the injury.
Williams met with Ulbrich for a long time during Georgia’s Pro Day.
Mike Green, Edge, Marshall
Green, who is 6-3 and 251, started his career at Virginia. He helped to lead the Thundering Herd to the Sun Belt Conference title. Green played six games as a freshman at Virginia and had a sack in 2021. After a coaching change, he did not play in any games in 2022.
In 2023, he played in 13 games and finished with 4.5 sacks. He led the nation with 17 sacks last season.
Green transferred to Marshall after a sexual assault allegation and was suspended. He stated at the combine he had “done nothing wrong.”
Will Johnson, CB Michigan
Johnson is 6-2, 194. He has the size and speed to be an elite NFL corner.
He can match up with bigger wide receivers. Johnson recorded nine career interceptions and returned three for touchdowns.
He’s also a solid tackler.
The Falcons re-signed right cornerback Michael Hughes, but you can’t ever have too many cornerbacks.
Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas
Banks is 6-5⅛, 315, and had Morris in attendance for his pro day.
He is a nimble, powerful run blocker who can get downfield to finish off plays, but he’ll need to refine his pass blocking techniques.
Banks, who left Texas after his junior year, would be reunited with Falcons running back Bijan Robinson if selected by the Falcons. Banks played in 42 games for the Longhorns and was named a first-team All-American last season.
He also won the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy.
Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
He’s 6-3, 244, and recovering from offseason left shoulder (torn labrum) surgery. Ulbrich was a former linebackers coach and will want to have that unit in great shape.
The Falcons left linebacker Nate Landman departed in free agency. The Falcons signed Divine Deablo in free agency and have to make a decision on Troy Andersen, who’s been plagued by injuries.
Campbell, who can play inside and outside linebacker, was named first-team All-SEC by the conference coaches and second-team by AP. He had 117 tackles, including a team-high 11.5 for loss and five sacks.
Credit: Associated Press
Credit: Associated Press
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
