ESPN's 2025 NFL Power Rankings aren't Hopeful for Atlanta Falcons

All of the confetti had yet to hit the turf at the Super Bowl before ESPN released their 2025 NFL Power Rankings. Where do the Atlanta Falcons fall?

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Drake London should be one of the top combos in the NFL in 2025. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have already made one-big change to their 2025 team even if the new-league year has yet to officially start. They parted ways with first-year defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and brought back veteran Jeff Ulbrich.

Lake set the bar so low for the Falcons in 2024, that Ulbrich should be an improvement in 2025, even if the underperforming personnel takes a step back. The Falcons will likely be without veterans Justin Simmons, Matt Judon, and David Onyemata in 2025, but they looked like a shell of their former selves in 2024 anyway.

ESPN knows the Falcons need an influx of talent on defense after going offensive skill in the top 10 of each of the last-four NFL Drafts. A.J. Terrell was the last time the Falcons went with a defender in the first round.

They released their Way Too Early 2025 Power Rankings on Sunday night before the confetti had even hit the ground at the Super Bowl. The Falcons come in at No. 19 in their first edition.

Each writer was asked to describe their team's offseason in three words as part of the power rankings. Falcons' beat writer Marc Raimondi went with: "Fix the Defense" - a familiar phrase in Atlanta.

"That was the Falcons' mantra after signing quarterback Kirk Cousinsast offseason," wrote Raimondi on ESPN. "But they ended up drafting another quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., with the No. 8 pick, and he was the only rookie who had a major impact.

"Atlanta acquired edge rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons, who are now free agents, but its defense was lackluster enough that it fired first-year coordinator Jimmy Lake. Defense must be the priority though free agency and the draft -- Atlanta has the 15th overall pick -- after it ranked 31st with 31 sacks in 2024."

It should be noted that there is rarely a lot of movement from the final power ranking of the season to the first of the following season. The Falcons were No. 17 ahead of their loss to the Carolina Panthers to close out the season, and they wouldn't have moved up after that display.

It wasn't just the Penix pick that failed to address the defense last season. The Falcons used four picks on three defensive tackles in April with glaring needs at cornerback, safety, and edge rusher. They used a third to trade up in the second round to draft Ruke Orhorhoro, while Cooper DeJean went to the Eagles at 40 as the first of four-straight cornerbacks off the board.

They did use a third on Bralen Trice, but third-round edge rushers aren't expected to be difference makers as rookies. Orhorhoro and fourth-round pick Brandon Dorlus could turn out to be excellent picks for 2025 and beyond, but they weren't going to contribute significantly in 2024 with Onyemata and Grady Jarrett as entrenched starters.

The Falcons were deep enough on the interior line, that their third pick for that position, Zion Logue, didn't even make the team and was plucked off the practice squad by the Buffalo Bills.

The Falcons shouldn't have that problem in 2025. Any defender they select at No. 15 in April's draft should be an immediate contributor. They have gaping holes on all-three levels of the defense. Edge or defensive end, linebacker, safety, and cornerback, a player taken at No. 15 will immediately be plugged in as a starter in any one of those four positions.

The Falcons are 27th in available cap space before any moves are made in the offseason. They have wiggle room with guys like Onyemata, Jarrett, and Kaleb McGary, but they won't be the only team clearing space this offseason. They don't have their third and fifth-round picks in the upcoming draft. They traded their third for Judon and lost the fifth as a penalty for tampering in free agency last year.

They don't have a lot of resources for improvement relative to other teams this offseason. However, it's widely believed this team grossly underachieved in 2024.

Getting a full season from Penix and installing a defense whose base isn't prevent, should go a long way towards Atlanta getting their first winning season since 2017.

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