F
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons went off-script early, and it cost them a F.
by JJmc ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 7 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Falcons spent Round 7, Pick 15 on Demon Clowney, a name the board had a full 190 spots lower. The warnings were there, and the F is the bill.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. They punted on running back, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Bottom line, it will take a lot of luck to make this look better later.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 23 they get a green-dot type in the middle, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
They went early on Christen Miller in pick No. 48, and the value did not follow. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They liked Bryce Lance enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 3, Pick 15. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tacario Davis at No. 97 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Oscar Delp in slot 117 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A big swing on Cole Payton at the 122nd overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Good price on Parker Brailsford in No. 134, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Domani Jackson at Round 5, Pick 35 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They reached into another round for Lander Barton, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Demon Clowney in the 231st pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A need, and now a little less of one.