ESPN Touts Atlanta Falcons' 3 Biggest Draft Needs, but They Missed a Big One

The Atlanta Falcons cleaned house in January, and it wasn't because they were in a good spot financially or from a roster perspective. There were plenty of holes on the team as new general manager Ian Cunningham and his staff got to work.

Cunningham has done an admirable job filling the biggest immediate needs on the team, including quarterback, defensive tackle, linebacker and edge rusher with multiple players at each position.

As focus turns to April's NFL Draft, ESPN's legion of beat writers came up with the biggest remaining needs for each team, including the Falcons, but we feel they missed arguably the biggest one: Cornerback.

"Top three needs: LB, WR, DT," Marc Raimonid wrote on ESPN. "Atlanta must replace Kaden Elliss at inside linebacker and David Onyemata on the defensive line. Both left as free agents. Stopping the run was the weak point of coordinator Jeff Ulbrich's defense last season even with those two players, and Atlanta is also still searching for a true No. 2 wide receiver to complement Drake London."

The Falcons signed defensive tackles Chris Williams and Da'Shawn Hand to help replace Onyemata. They added Christian Harris and Channing Tindall at linebacker, and they signed wide receivers Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus.

To use a Moneyball phrase, they are replacing their star defenders in aggregate. Are any of those players better than the ones they replaced? Probably not. Is getting two players at each of their positions better for the team's depth than what they had? Yes.

On top of that, the Falcons may already have an internal replacement for the versatile Elliss in 2025 first-round pick Jalon Walker. Walker is expected to move around the formation depending on down and distance, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is expecting a breakout season from him.

That's not to say the Falcons would shy away from a top player at any of those positions with the No. 48 pick in the NFL Draft next month. None of them have enough guaranteed money beyond 2026 to ensure a roster spot on the 2027 squad. These were veteran free agents to fill an immediate need, not building blocks.

That said, cornerback still remains a big need for this team. A.J. Terrell is set at one position, and Mike Hughes has been a low-priced No. 2 cornerback the last several seasons. Atlanta should be looking to upgrade Hughes' position, and the depth behind the two starters has been threadbare.

The Falcons haven't used a Day 1 or Day 2 (round 1-3) pick on a cornerback since they took A.J. Terrell in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft... and it shows.

When ranking the offseasons of all 32 teams so far, Raimondi's colleague, Benjamin Solak, knocked the Falcons for their approach to the cornerback position. He wrote his favorite move was getting Tua Tagovailoa on a veteran minimum, but thinks Atlanta should have done better in the defensive backfield.

“I know the market for starting cornerbacks has taken a big leap, but I thought the Falcons would add some competition to the CB2 spot opposite A.J. Terrell Jr,” he wrote. “Mike Hughes, who was extended last offseason, was an oft-targeted weak point last season. Darnay Holmes, the only veteran addition, is likely more slot insurance behind Billy Bowman Jr. than a legit candidate to play outside. Atlanta doesn't have a first-round pick this year, so it'll likely be a middle-round pick challenging Hughes for those snaps.”

Whoever the Falcons take in the second round has an excellent chance of seeing the field early and often. However, the position where the biggest immediate impact could be felt is likely cornerback, with all of the other needs being filled with, at the very least, serviceable veterans.

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