Ranking Every Falcons Draft Class of the Decade From Forgettable to Franchise-Changing

From early-round hits to late-round misses, the Atlanta Falcons’ recent draft classes tell a clear story.

While Atlanta has had success with first round picks like Drake London, they have struggled to find depth in later rounds. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons haven't had trouble finding success early in the draft recently, already landing a trio of All-Pros in Bijan Robinson, A.J. Terrell and Kyle Pitts, while Drake London and Jalon Walker have also shown exciting potential early in their careers.

Atlanta's draft woes have actually come after the first round, usually whiffing on Day 2 and Day 3 prospects and failing to add meaningful depth to build around their early draft hits.

With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, Falcons on SI grades Atlanta’s top drafts this decade from worst to best.

6. 2020 NFL Draft

Terrell is the only draftee from the 2020 class to still be in Atlanta, and the most impactful by far. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Outside of Terrell, who Atlanta selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round, no other player from the 2020 draft class remains with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Clemson product immediately slid into a starting role, making his first career start in Atlanta’s home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. He’s developed into the Falcons’ most consistent defensive player, signing a four-year, $81 million extension in 2024 after earning Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2021.

Besides Terrell, center Matt Hennessy (No. 78 overall), linebacker Mykal Walker (No. 119 overall), and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (No. 134 overall) all started several games with the Falcons but were eventually waived ahead of the 2023 season. Walker had the most statistically productive career in Atlanta, racking up a career-high 107 tackles during the 2022 campaign.

Atlanta's second-round pick, Marlon Davidson, started just one game in Atlanta while struggling with knee issues before being released during the 2022 season.

5. 2024 NFL Draft

Just a month after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, Atlanta drafted Penix with the No.8 pick | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

This draft class still carries the most uncertainty out of any other on the list, with No.8 overall pick and starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. missing the remainder of the 2025 season due to a partially torn ACL.

Through 14 starts, Penix Jr. currently holds a 4-8 record, throwing for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Besides Penix, defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus (fourth round, No. 109 overall) has been Atlanta’s most productive player from the class. Among all NFL players with 8.5 sacks or more, Dorlus’ 2026 base salary of just over $1 million is the lowest.

Defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (second round, No. 35 overall), JD Bertrand (fifth round, No. 143 overall), and wide receiver Casey Washington (sixth round, No. 185 overall) have all made starts for Atlanta, but none have developed into valuable depth pieces to this point. Orhorhoro was recently traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for fellow former second-round pick Maason Smith.

4. 2021 NFL Draft

After an up-and-down start to his NFL career, Pitts earned Second-team All-Pro honors last season. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Most of this class may be gone from Atlanta by now, but the Falcons landed several starters in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Pitts (No.4 overall) headlines the class, bursting onto the scene to earn Pro Bowl honors after a rookie season of 68 catches, 1,026 yards. While his production has been hindered by instability under center, he earned Second-team All-Pro honors in 2025 after catching a career high 88 passes and five touchdowns for 928 receiving yards.

Center Drew Dalman (fourth round, no.114 overall) started 40 games over the course of four seasons in Atlanta before joining the Chicago Bears ahead of last season and earning a Pro Bowl nod. Safety Richie Grant (second round, no.40 overall) was also productive, starting 32 games while totaling 275 tackles and three interceptions.

Among the Falcons' nine selections in the 2021 NFL draft, eight players started multiple games in Atlanta.

3. 2022 NFL Draft

London's best pro season came in 2024, when he hauled in 100 passes for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. | Lisi Niesner/Reuters via Imagn Images

Between London and Tyler Allgeier, two of Atlanta's most productive offensive weapons of the past five years came from the 2022 NFL Draft.

Drake London (No. 8 overall) arrived with high expectations as the highest receiver taken in the draft and the 2021 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, and met them right away with 72 catches for 866 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

Fresh off tying for the NCAA lead with 23 rushing touchdowns, Allgeier (fifth round, no.151 overall) earned PFWA All-Rookie honors after leading the Falcons with 1,035 rushing yards for the season. After spending four seasons with the Falcons, the BYU product signed a two-year, $12.25 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

Atlanta’s second-round pick was used on Arnold Ebiketie (no.38 overall), who occasionally filled in as a starter throughout his time in Atlanta, but never earned a consistent role before joining the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.

2. 2023 NFL Draft

Quickly establishing himself as one of the NFL’s top running backs, drafting Robinson alone pushes this draft near the top. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

This wasn’t a particularly loaded draft, but some teams would trade an entire class of hidden gems for one player of Bijan Robinson’s generational caliber.

Robinson immediately slid into Atlanta's starting running back role in 2023, but has established himself as one of the most versatile offensive players in recent history over the past two seasons. Last year, the Texas product finished with the 12th-most yards from scrimmage in a single season (2,298) in NFL history.

Since being drafted in 2023, Robinson has earned two Pro Bowl nods and a First-team All-Pro selection.

The Falcons also found meaningful value with guard Matthew Bergeron in the second round (No. 38 overall). While he has yet to establish himself among the league’s premier interior blockers, he has started all 49 games of his career and ranked in the top half of Pro Football Focus grades at the position last season.

1. 2025 NFL Draft

The Falcons landed several promising starters from the 2025 NFL Draft. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It hasn't even been a year, but several promising starters have emerged from the 2025 NFL Draft.

Atlanta kicked things off by picking a pair of explosive pass-rushers in Jalon Walker (No.15) and James Pearce Jr. (No.26 overall), who both made an immediate impact as rookies. While Pearce Jr.'s future with the team is uncertain and not looking promising, Walker has the potential to emerge as one of the league's top young linebackers.

Another rookie who wasted little time producing was Xavier Watts (No. 96 overall), who started all 17 games and earned Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in September.

Safety Billy Bowman Jr. (No. 118 overall) appeared in six games, making one start and totaling 26 tackles with an interception before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury.

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