Falcons Projected to Nab 'Possible Top-10 Talent' in Post-Super Bowl Mock Draft

The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner predicted the Atlanta Falcons to take a risk at No. 15 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft on a player who could become an NFL star.

Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The confetti has fallen. The Lombardi Trophy has been lifted. The 2024-25 NFL season is officially finished.

Not that we haven't already turned the page with the Atlanta Falcons, but it's now time to fully turn our attention to the NFL offseason, most notably, the draft.

That's what The Athletic did, releasing a post-Super Bowl LIX mock draft on Feb. 10. At No. 15 overall, the Falcons addressed their defensive front seven, landing Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart.

"Stewart was one of the best players at the Senior Bowl (despite not actually being a senior). His blend of burst, power and length (34 1/4-inch arms at 6-5, 280) outweighs his lack of high-end college production," The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner wrote. "Stewart will have to prove it at the next level, but he is a possible top-10 talent."

Stewart is likely to be one of the more popular choices for the Falcons in NFL mock drafts over the next several weeks. He's considered one of the highest-risked but biggest-reward prospects in the 2025 class.

The traits are there. However, the college production was not.

"Getting off the bus, Stewart will be one of the best-looking prospects at the draft, and he is expected to test extremely well at the NFL Combine in February," SI on Falcons' Scott Kennedy wrote on Jan. 22. "However, he had 4.5 sacks in his three seasons with the Aggies."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also predicted the Falcons to pick Stewart at No. 15 overall in a January mock draft.

Stewart could see his draft stock rise throughout the spring if he tests very well at the NFL combine. In addition to only 4.5 college sacks, though, he had just 12 tackles for loss and 65 combined tackles in 37 games at Texas A&M.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of reaction the NFL mock draft community has to Stewart after the combine and his pro day. The Falcons are so desperate for pass rushing production, he could be worth the risk.

But the Falcons also don't have many selections in 2025, and with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on his rookie deal, Atlanta could use as many sure-thing (as close to sure-things as one can find anyway) prospects as possible.