The Falcons Fell Behind Their Division Rivals After the 2026 Draft
The 2026 NFL Draft has wrapped up, and the Falcons should be excited about their player selections, right? Well, despite drafting positional needs, the Falcons still came out with one of the weaker draft classes, according to most media pundits. To make matters worse, the rest of the NFC South came out as massive winners on draft night. Did the Falcons make the wrong choices? Perhaps the Saints, Panthers, and Buccaneers simply drafted phenomenally. Regardless, Atlanta may be on the outside looking in to win the NFC South come the start of the 2026 NFL regular season.
What Their Rivals Did Right
The Buccaneers came out as absolute gangbusters on night one of the draft with the selection of University of Miami standout edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. Bain was as high as the third overall prospect on some draft boards, with the consensus that he’d fall around the fifth or sixth pick. Safe to say, him falling to Tampa Bay at the 15th pick was outstanding value for a position of need. The Bucs only continued their draft success with the selection of linebacker Josiah Trotter and wide receiver Ted Hurst with their second-day picks. Just more excellent value from their selections. Trotter was the perfect scheme fit pick, a linebacker who can blitz and help their subpar run defense. Hurst will play the opposite side of 2025 draft pick Emeka Egbuka. His speed and size will make the former JUCO a vertical threat as a boundary receiver. On day three, the Bucs made their fourth value pick in a row with the selection of cornerback Keionte Scott, who will join his Miami teammate Bain Jr. in Tampa Bay. Scott had a first-round grade but fell in the draft because of his age. He will be added to a Todd Bowles defense that is itching to bounce back from its disappointing 2025 campaign. Those four players alone, along with the rest of their draft, were simply banger after banger picks. Jason Licht and his scouting team came out with an incredible haul.
The Falcons' biggest rival, the New Orleans Saints, also came out as massive winners of the 2026 NFL draft. Jordyn Tyson was the perfect selection with their eighth pick. The development of Tyler Shough is vital if New Orleans wants to be successful next season, and adding a player like Tyson will only make the sophomore quarterback’s life easier. The second round selection of defensive tackle Christen Miller will no doubt help shore up both their run and pass defense with his size and strength. The Saints double-dipped on Georgia players on the second day of the draft with the selection of tight end Oscar Delp, who will not only contribute as an in-line blocker, but he also has rare, explosive movement that not a lot of tight ends in the league have. New Orleans also took Ohio State defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr., who is the older brother of now Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles, on the third and final day of the draft. Lorenzo brings athleticism and speed to their relatively slow secondary. All in all, New Orleans had a goal in the draft to make Shough’s life easier. With their selections, I’d say they’re on their way to succeeding in doing so.
After winning the NFC South in 2025, the Carolina Panthers look to repeat as champions- and their selections in the 2026 draft, they very well could repeat. Offensive lineman Monroe Freeling from Georgia was an excellent value selection with the 19th pick. Similar to the Buccaneers, one of the best positions of need players fell right into their lap. The Panthers added more to their already dangerous front four with the selection of defensive tackle Lee Hunter from that potent Texas Tech pass rush. More importantly, they filled a massive need at wide receiver two with the selection of Chriss Brazzell II. Brazzell’s a lengthy and speedy threat on the boundaries and a great outside target for Bryce Young to throw to. Though their draft wasn’t as much of a home run as the Bucs or Saints, Carolina got great value picks while also addressing their pressing needs at crucial positions.
How the Falcons Are Falling Behind
To put it simply, Atlanta not having its first-round pick hurt them badly. They can rest a bit easier knowing the Rams may have fumbled what would’ve been Atlanta’s 13th overall pick, but it’s the simple fact that they didn’t have a premium pick to add talent to their roster. Now, there’s been nothing but praise for their selection of former Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell in the second round, who was considered a top corner in the draft, but fell due to suffering a hamstring injury during the draft combine. He’ll be uniting with his brother, AJ Terrell, as the boundary cornerbacks for a Falcons secondary that desperately needed a CB2. Their third-round selection of Georgia wideout Zachariah Branch was given a little push back despite wide receiver being a need for Atlanta. Branch is a speedy but undersized wide receiver with a limited route tree from watching his film while playing in Athens. The Falcons' receiver room needed speed, but they really needed another X receiver who can play on the outside, and Branch is more than likely going to line up in the slot. The third day of the draft is where things got rough for Atlanta because they really needed to hit on these picks. They went out and got two high upside, project linebackers in Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. Daniels is a pure project linebacker with great size and tackling, but lacks instincts to be a bonafide mike. Perkins was a great value at his selection as he was once considered to be a first-round caliber player before suffering a torn ACL in 2024. The selection of defensive tackle Anterio Thompson was probably their biggest head-scratcher. Granted, he is a late-round prospect, but the value at which he was taken is quite low. He has good size and can rush the passer decently, but he loses too many reps and can be a liability in rush pro. He’s going to be added to a logjam of similar players that fit his archetype on Atlanta’s interior. Will he be able to stand out and make an impact on the roster?
The biggest problem with Atlanta’s draft is that it’s hard to tell who’s genuinely going to be a day-one contributor for their team. Barring injury, Terrell is all but a lock to start, but what about the rest of the picks? Will Daniels or Perkins beat out Divine Diablo and a returning Troy Anderson? As stated before, what role will Thompson play at nose tackle in a room with so many players just like him? Will Branch contribute to the Falcons’ passing offense at all this season? Carolina, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans all got a minimum of two day-one ready starters that will contribute to their teams on the field. They added players that filled their critical needs at premium positions; it’s hard to say if Atlanta did the same. It’s still very possible for the Dirty Birds to win the NFC South this upcoming season, but it feels like they’re stagnating while the rest of the division is making massive improvements to really fight for the division crown.
