B-
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B-.
by gageexline ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
Nobody had Jeff Sims this high, and it is not close. The Falcons reached 220 spots to get him at pick No. 231. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
A whole weekend of picks and running back is somehow still a want. Landing Scott that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The Greg Gaines pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
Good work on the whole, with running back the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Antonio Williams at the 77th pick is the proof. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A quiet steal in slot 79: Keionte Scott for less than the market said. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They liked Kaleb Proctor enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 122. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Kaleb Elarms-Orr. The roster fit checks out.
Patrick Payton at the 195th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A conviction pick on Jeremiah Wright at Round 6, Pick 34 that the board grades a round light. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Jeff Sims at the 231st pick, well ahead of any board in the building. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.