B-
Atlanta Falcons
More right than wrong for the Falcons, and a B- to prove it.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Haynes King in pick No. 236, a good 72 spots before the room expected him. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
Spending an early pick on cornerback with running back, tight end and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. Getting Stukes where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
For all the activity, running back went untouched, which is hard to explain.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
CJ Allen is a better player than Round 2, Pick 16 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Elijah Sarratt in pick 91. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Treydan Stukes all the way to slot 120, and they scooped it up. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went cornerback with Julian Neal while clear needs at running back, tight end and other spots sat open.
They did well to land Bishop Fitzgerald in the 126th pick, just ahead of his grade. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Jeremiah Wright in No. 215 is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nick Barrett at the 231st overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Haynes King in Round 7, Pick 20, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.