Atlanta Falcons 2025 NFL Draft Grade - Report Card, Fantasy Value
Thor Nystrom ...
XXX short intro XXXX
Who Did the Atlanta Falcons Draft?
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected …
- Jalon Walker | LB
- James Pearce Jr. | EDGE
- Xavier Watts | S
- Billy Bowman Jr. | S
- Jack Nelson | OT
Grading the Falcons NFL Draft
Atlanta Falcons | Draft Grade: C+
I want to be clear: I loved the picks that Atlanta made, and I love the immediate-help talent they brought in at positions of pressing need. But I could not in good conscience grade them any higher than this after the reckless squandering of their 2026 first-round pick in order to acquire EDGE James Pearce Jr. (who, granted, is a perfect fit).
Pearce’s calling cards are vicious acceleration and speed off the edge—he ran a 4.47 40 at 245 pounds wearing a performance hoodie at the NFL Combine!—with Gumby-like bend. The past two seasons, Pearce generated pressure on 107 of 500 pass-rushing snaps (21.4%).
Overall, I really liked Atlanta’s haul. And the Falcons are indisputably better today than they were a week ago. But GM Terry Fontenot has put the organization right up there on the tight rope with him in sacrificing next year’s Round 1 pick. That was a steal-for-the-future measure from a man who won’t see it if Atlanta doesn’t contend next season.
With only five picks and big needs on defense, the Falcons did not draft any skill players to add to a unit that is pretty well-stocked.
H2: More 2025 NFL Draft Grades By Team
- Arizona Cardinals Draft Grade
- Atlanta Falcons Draft Grade
- Baltimore Ravens Draft Grade
- Buffalo Bills Draft Grade
- Carolina Panthers Draft Grade
- Chicago Bears Draft Grade
- Cincinnati Bengals Draft Grade
- Cleveland Browns Draft Grade
- Dallas Cowboys Draft Grade
- Denver Broncos Draft Grade
- Detroit Lions Draft Grade
- Green Bay Packers Draft Grade
- Houston Texans Draft Grade
- Indianapolis Colts Draft Grade
- Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Grade
- Kansas City Chiefs Draft Grade
- Las Vegas Raiders Draft Grade
- Los Angeles Chargers Draft Grade
- Los Angeles Rams Draft Grade
- Miami Dolphins Draft Grade
- Minnesota Vikings Draft Grade
- New England Patriots Draft Grade
- New Orleans Saints Draft Grade
- New York Giants Draft Grade
- New York Jets Draft Grade
- Philadelphia Eagles Draft Grade
- Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Grade
- San Francisco 49ers Draft Grade
- Seattle Seahawks Draft Grade
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Grade
- Tennessee Titans Draft Grade
- Washington Commanders Draft Grade