Mel Kiper's Final Mock Draft has Atlanta Falcons Beefing Up Trenches

The Atlanta Falcons enter the 2026 NFL Draft next week with only five picks. New general manager Ian Cunningham has made a point in saying that they only had five picks in his first season with the Chicago Bears, and they finished with 10.

The Falcons have already executed a trade down of sorts to add an additional player when they swapped 4th and 6th round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles for safety Sydney Brown.

With the draft a week away, mock draft season is mercifully coming to an end, and the Godfather of draft analysts, Mel Kiper Jr., released his final two-round mock draft this week.

He has the Falcons taking big defensive tackle Lee Hunter from Texas Tech at No. 48.

"Atlanta might use the first of its five selections at receiver, perhaps with Georgia's Zachariah Branch," Kiper pondered on ESPN. "It could also bring in Avieon Terrell to not only shore up the cornerback room but also team him up with his older brother, A.J. Terrell Jr.

"But Atlanta gave up 4.6 yards per rush last season, 25th in the league, so the interior defensive line is an issue worth examining. Hunter had a ridiculous 52 run stops and 33.5 tackles for loss over the past three seasons and could be an answer."

After an impressive Senior Bowl performance, Hunter jumped up into the first round in many mocks, but a disappointing NFL Combine has seen him slip back in the middle of the second round according to many pundits.

Hunter measured 6'3 1/2" and 318 pounds with 33 1/4" arms. Those are the type of measurables that the Falcons would love to see in the middle of their defensive line. He knows how to use those long arms as well, frequently getting into the chest of blockers, knocking them off balance, and then stiff-arming them into the offensive backfield.

It's the agility numbers that disappointed for Hunter. Credit to him, he's one of the few players who did most of the testing at the combine, but he ran a 5.18 forty, had a 21.5" vertical and an 8'4 standing broad jump.

The vertical jump wasn't just the lowest among the defensive linemen; it was the lowest by six inches and the lowest of any player at the combine by three.

His first step shows he obviously has some explosion to him, so teams that already loved him were happy with his poor performance, knowing he'll slip down the board. That could work to the Falcons advantage.

UGA defensive tackle Christen Miller has been a popular pick at No. 48 for the Falcons, but Kiper has him going way before Atlanta is on the clock. The Texans grab him at No. 28.

It's interesting that Kiper mentioned Avieon Terrell. Cornerback is still a big need for the Falcons and a second-round corner would be expected to push for a starting job right away. But Kiper is really the only draft analyst who has Terrell dropping out of the first round. He's battled a hamstring injury that caused him to miss testing at the combine, and even during a private workout, it flared up again.

Kiper has Terrell going No. 52 to the Packers. If he's still there at No. 48, the Falcons would be hard-pressed to pass him up. Watching the Falcons trade up (again) to take defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro at No. 35 and then All-Pro cornerback Cooper DeJean going at No. 40 to the Eagles is still fresh on the mind of Falcons fans who have seen Atlanta ignore the position for years.

The last time the Falcons used a Day 1 or Day 2 pick (1st, 2nd, or 3rd round) on a cornerback was ironically, A.J. Terrell in 2020. Seeing his younger brother end that streak would be poetic.

Offensive tackle was always a sneaky need for this team, but it's come to the forefront with the retirement of Kaleb McGary. The Falcons backfilled with Jawaan Taylor, but he's still only on a one-year deal.

Should the Falcons decide to go in that direction, Kiper has Utah's Caleb Lomu available. He goes to the Panthers at No. 51.

A quality wide receiver would also find snaps on this team, and UGA's Zachariah Branch goes to the Steelers (naturally) at No. 53. Not only would he push for the starting slot job, but he'd also fill a big need as a return man for the Falcons.

If ever there was a draft the Falcons didn't want to have their No. 13 pick, traded to the Rams, this might be the year. The difference between 10 and 50 in this draft isn't nearly as big as some others (See 2021). Atlanta will have a chance to get a good player at a position of need who should contribute right away.

Kiper thinks it's Hunter.

We'll find out next Friday.

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