Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings Are Not Kind to the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons added several new players to their roster after the NFL Draft, but how much better did they get?

Despite not carrying a first-round pick, they picked up some first-round talent with cornerback Avieon Terrell in the second round. They found more value in the third round with wide receiver Zachariah Branch. Later, general manager Ian Cunningham secured more value on day three, locking in Kendal Daniels, with some fliers on Anterio Thompson, Harold Perkins Jr., and Ethan Onianwa.

Now that we are a few days removed from the NFL Draft, power rankings from various outlets have started to emerge. How do the Falcons fall? The returns have not been great.

The Athletic – No. 22

The Athletic dropped the Falcons two spots, but they are high on their acquisition of Zachariah Branch.

To their point, the wide receiver should be able to make an impact right away, whether on offense or special teams. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with elite speed and playmaking ability. If Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees struggle to find a role for that kind of player, then there might be bigger problems.

Bleacher Report – No. 24

Bleacher Report is not sold on the Falcons’ offense until they figure out their quarterback position. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will be duking it out this summer, and whoever wins that competition will be counted on to snap their eight-year playoff drought. Aside from the quarterback, they seem to be high on the weapons the Falcons will feature on offense. Zachariah Branch was added to a skill group that already includes Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts.

Overall, they have the Falcons dropping behind all three of their division rivals.

NFL.com – No. 22

NFL.com actually came away rather impressed with what the Falcons were able to accomplish this weekend, despite not carrying a first-round pick. They are high on their additions of Avieon Terrell and Zachariah Branch on Friday, but also the flyers that Ian Cunningham took on Anterio Thompson and Harold Perkins Jr for the substitution packages on defense.

However, they failed to mention linebacker Kendal Daniels. The fourth-round pick is a physically similar player to Divine Deablo and an ideal fit for Jeff Ulbrich’s defense.

FOX – No. 20

Similar to many of these power rankings, FOX dropped the Falcons after this weekend, slipping them two spots to No. 20 overall. They like the story of pairing the Terrell brothers, but they do not like that they waited to address the wide receiver position, despite adding Zachariah Branch in the third round.

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