Sports Illustrated Identifies Falcons' Post-Free Agency Draft Needs

The Atlanta Falcons are three weeks through the free agency window and three weeks away from the NFL Draft. Ian Cunningham has been hard at work building out depth on this roster, but the franchise still has some needs that must be addressed before they ramp up to the regular season this summer.

As we hit this midpoint of the primary player acquisition window, NFL writer Gilberto Manzano from Sports Illustrated identified the biggest remaining holes on the Falcons’ roster. The Falcons, like many teams, have plenty of areas they can address, but Manzano intentionally narrowed it down to the top four needs, since only the truly special draft classes can impact more than that in any given season.

As for the Falcons, Manzano identified wide receiver, defensive tackle, linebacker, and cornerback as the franchise’s biggest needs heading into the NFL Draft and the ‘second wave’ of free agency.

“For whatever reason, the Falcons can’t seem to find help for Drake London. He might set a career high in targets if Jahan Dotson ends up being the No. 2 wideout on this team,” Manzano wrote about the Falcons' needs. “But new coach Kevin Stefanski has bigger problems on defense. There’s a need for a cornerstone player on the interior of the defensive line, and the team took a hit when linebacker Kaden Elliss left for New Orleans.”

Jahan Dotson is a major key for the Falcons’ plans this season. The 25-year-old wide receiver has played four years in the NFL, but has yet to reach the potential the Commanders saw in him when they drafted him No. 16 overall back in 2022. For his career, he has 17-game averages of 33 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Dotsan had a career-best season in his rookie season, where he caught 35 passes for 523 yards and seven touchdowns.

However, he has consistently been second- or even third-fiddle in crowded wide receiver rooms. In Atlanta, Dotson will have the opportunity to shine in the second spot while the eventual rookie draft pick finds his way in the NFL.

Dotson has elite speed, but if he can put the pieces together, he could end up being a valuable piece of the Falcons’ offense next season.

On defense, the loss of Elliss is hard to overstate. He started every single game of his contract, totaling 380 tackles, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. In his place, the Falcons will hope that some combination of Christian Harris and Troy Andersen can mitigate that loss.

Harris, who joined the Falcons in free agency, has appeared in 46 career games (27 starts), where he has accounted for 206 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and one interception. He struggled with injuries in 2024 and returned to a diminished role in 2025.

In Atlanta, he will need to step in and play a role similar to the one he did before his calf injury two seasons ago.

It would not be all that surprising if the Falcons took a swing on a linebacker in this class, given its solid depth and upside, but there will likely be more pressing things to address – mainly, along the defensive line and at cornerback. Both of these positions will need some reinforcements this offseason with some day-two or early-day-three draft capital.

Elsewhere in the NFC South, Manzano highlighted tight end, offensive line, cornerback, and safety as the primary needs for the Carolina Panthers; wide receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, and cornerback as the primary needs for the New Orleans Saints; and edge, linebacker, and cornerback as the primary needs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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