After landing top-10 picks in the last four drafts, the Atlanta Falcons will finally end their top-10 streak in 2025. The team finished the 2024 season with a record of 8-9, earning the 15th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
While the Falcons are less likely to land a blue-chip prospect in the middle of the first round, the draft should feature plenty of impact players available at pick No. 15.
To give you a better idea of the type of player Atlanta could land in Round 1, here’s a look at the last 15 players drafted 15th overall:
2024: DE Laiatu Latu - Indianapolis Colts
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2023: DE Will McDonald - New York Jets
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2022: OL Kenyon Green - Houston Texans
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2021: QB Mac Jones - New England Patriots
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2020: WR Jerry Jeudy - Denver Broncos
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2019: QB Dwayne Haskins - Washington
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2018: OL Kolton Miller - Raiders
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2017: S Malik Hooker - Indianapolis Colts
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2016: WR Corey Coleman - Cleveland Browns
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2015: RB Melvin Gordon - San Diego Chargers
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2014: LB Ryan Shazier - Pittsburgh Steelers
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2013: S Kenny Vaccaro - New Orleans Saints
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2012: DE Bruce Irvin - Seattle Seahawks
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2011: OL Mike Pouncey - Miami Dolphins
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Former Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal is officially calling it a career. The 29-year-old announced he was retiring from the NFL in a social media post that thanked the Falcons for giving him his start.
“Wanna give a big thank you to the Atlanta Falcons for drafting and giving me a chance to make an impact,” Neal posted on Sunday.
The Falcons selected Neal with the 17th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He spent five seasons in Atlanta (2016-2020) but suffered a few devastating injuries right when his career seemed to be taking off.
Neal made the Pro Bowl in his second season before missing most of the 2018 and 2019 seasons due to injuries. Falcons fans wished the former first-round pick well on Twitter.
Falcons fans react to Neal’s retirement:
Falcons légendhttps://t.co/CXiHkeaMrE pic.twitter.com/dxXUMQDcJW
—ChefDom
(@11ChefDom) February 23, 2025
I saw this man get drafted bro. Im really reaching unc statushttps://t.co/CXiHkeaMrE pic.twitter.com/DDcs1cX8vK
—ChefDom(@11ChefDom) February 23, 2025
Neal appeared in 89 career games (69 starts), recording 523 tackles (361 solo), eight forced fumbles and four interceptions over eight years in the NFL.
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It looks like the Falcons are prepared to eat the looming roster bonus to keep or trade Cousins.
The Kirk Cousins saga may not last all that long in the end—it has been less than a year since he signed, and he could be moved in the coming weeks—but it certainly feels like it’s dragging on for a while.
The latest chapter comes with a Tom Pelissero report that Cousins met with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank on Wednesday, a report fellow insider Albert Breer echoed on Friday. As Breer puts it, this was about Cousins’ future, and presumably whether he’ll be released, traded, or kept in 2025.
Perhaps Cousins gained some clarity in that meeting about the team’s plans for him, but as Pelissero reports, there’s no sense that Atlanta is budging on keeping him or trading him instead of releasing him. While the team has been vocal about that, the looming March 17 deadline for that $10 million roster bonus has made many across the NFL landscape believe it’s only a matter of time until he’s cut.
But with a handful of starting quarterback vacancies out there and the team taking a 2025 bath on his contract one way or another, the Falcons are clearly still hoping they’ll be able to trade him, and Cousins may be willing to waive his no trade clause if he can land with a team where he can start. Those discussions haven’t happened yet, per insider Dianna Russini, but Atlanta’s clearly banking on it down the line if they want to hold on to him. While Cousins would undoubtedly like to be released outright so he can choose his landing spot and enjoy a more robust market given the tiny salary he’d command while still being paid by the Falcons, the team has said all along that they don’t see any upside in cutting him and appear ready to stand by it.
There’s still a little over a week to go until that roster bonus is due—and it’s worth noting that it hits the 2026 cap—and the early waves of free agency should help clarify the quarterback picture across the league in a way that might benefit both Cousins and the Falcons. Atlanta will be watching closely to see what teams—the Giants, the Seahawks, the Jets, etc.—with major needs at the position are left without a potential veteran starter ahead of the draft, especially if those teams aren’t enamored with the first round quarterbacks. That may be where Cousins’ narrow market materializes, and if there’s a chance to go to a team where he’ll be the unquestioned starter for at least a little while, perhaps the veteran quarterback will jump at the chance to ensure he’s not holding a clipboard through the entire 2025 campaign.
All we really know is that the team is inclined to hold on to Cousins for now unless they can trade him and Cousins wants to go somewhere where he can start; whether both sides can get what they want will remain an open question for at least a little bit longer.
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The NFL Combine is in the books and free agency is right around the corner. We take a look at how the Combine changed things for the Falcons in our second 7-round mock draft of the 2025 offseason.
The NFL Combine is in the books and free agency is right around the corner. That means it’s time for another full seven-round mock draft for the Atlanta Falcons, who appear to be in a tricky situation this offseason. The salary cap is tight and the team has just five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to work with at the moment, not exactly a great setup for a team that needs a total defensive overhaul.
This mock draft will be the final one I’ll do with absolutely no trades. I think it’s necessary to see what happens in free agency before attempting to project trade scenarios, which is a dubious proposition to begin with. That being said, I firmly believe Atlanta will aggressively pursue a trade down from pick 15. Both because of the makeup of the draft class, the team’s particular needs, and the aforementioned lack of resources.
Before we jump in to the mock, let’s take a look at the Falcons’ current haul of draft picks.
What are the Falcons current 2025 NFL Draft picks?
- Round 1, Pick 15
- Round 2, Pick 46
- Round 4, Pick 116
- Round 7, Pick 220 (from Chargers)
- Round 7, Pick 244 (from Rams)
This is the written version, but you can also find the mock draft in two alternate forms as well. On our YouTube channel:
The mock is also available on all your favorite podcast platforms! You can listen to it directly here:
Previous mock drafts: First edition | Post-Combine
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Round 1, Pick 15: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
One of the cleanest evaluations in the 2025 draft class and one of my favorite overall players, Jahdae Barron is an instant-impact addition to Atlanta’s secondary. While I personally think Barron’s long-term home is as a slot defender, he’s got plenty of experience playing outside and at safety. Quite simply, he can fill any role in the secondary if needed. In the slot, however, he’s a perfect fit and could become an elite player at a position of increasing importance in the NFL.
Barron turned in an eye-popping 4.39s 40 and some good jumps en route to a 9.00u RAS while weighing in at nearly 200 pounds. For a corner who is not quite 5’11, that’s an impressive weight that rivals many free safeties. Barron isn’t an ideal outside corner at that height, but as a slot defender, he checks all the boxes. The tape is elite, and I have no questions about Barron’s ability to impact the NFL game at a high level.
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Round 2, Pick 46: EDGE Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss
With the Falcons passing—once again—on a pass rusher in the first round, they will be looking for an addition with their lone Day 2 pick. Thankfully, this is a deep class, and Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen was still on the board at pick 46. Umanmielen has posted consistently elite pass rush numbers throughout his career, and checked the athleticism boxes with an impressive 8.50u RAS.
Umanmielen certainly isn’t without question marks. He’s light and his run defense will be a significant area of concern early in his career. There are also nebulous character concerns floating around which could affect his stock. I’m not capable of weighing in on that, but at this point in the draft, Umanmielen is well worth the risk. He’s a potentially elite pass rushing specialist who could provide a big spark to Atlanta’s beleaguered defensive front.
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Round 4, Pick 116: SAF Andrew Mukuba, Texas
With Jahdae Barron filling the slot need and, hopefully, the re-signing of Mike Hughes taking care of CB2, the Falcons really just need a safety to pair with Jessie Bates. Why not add Barron’s teammate in Andrew Mukuba, who is starting to creep into early-Day 3 in many mock drafts?
Mukuba’s tape as a coverage safety is excellent, and he can provide a lot of value as a split or single-high safety. His issues come as a run defender, where he has plenty of “want to” but not a lot of size to back it up. Mukuba came into the Combine at 5’11, 186—lighter than Barron by 10 pounds. Still, if the Falcons are looking to play a lot of two-high safeties and want to emphasize coverage on the back end, Mukuba could be a perfect high-value fit at this point in the draft.
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Round 7, Pick 220: DT Cam’Ron Jackson, Florida
Pick acquired from Chargers.
If the Falcons want to continue playing a lighter, nickel-focused defense, they desperately need an space-eating nose tackle to bolster their front. Luckily, this draft class is chock full of quality nose tackles, with Florida’s Cam’Ron Jackson still available late on Day 3. Unlike the guys who will go higher in the draft, Jackson is a run defender only. Outside of a bull rush and pocket pushing (along with some batted passes!), Jackson isn’t going to impact the passing game much.
In the run game, though, Jackson is a bully. His 9.3% run stop rate and 80.9 run defense grade (per PFF) is elite. At 6’6, 328 with massive 34” arms, he checks all the size boxes. While his poor jumps pulled down his overall RAS to a fairly average 4.58u, Jackson’s actual speed numbers were respectable given his size. This is a specialized player with a specialized role, but someone who can give you legitimate early-down starting potential late on Day 3. That’s a bargain in my book.
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Round 7, Pick 244: LB Kain Medrano, UCLA
Pick acquired from Rams.
The Falcons go in the opposite direction with their final pick, taking a chance on a terrific athlete at linebacker who has the potential to grow into a capable rotational player in time. UCLA’s Kain Medrano aced the athletic testing with elite jumps and a 4.46s 40 at the Combine, while also coming in at nearly 6’3, 222. Those numbers were good enough for a 9.72u RAS. That’s obviously a tad light for an NFL linebacker, but it’s rumored he played more in the 230s.
I won’t claim to have watched much of Medrano, but what I have seen is as intriguing as it is frustrating. As you’d expect given his measurables, he’s a capable coverage player who also has some pass rushing juice. He struggled mightily against the run and as a tackler, posting a terrifying 26.0% missed tackle rate (per PFF). So if you’re wondering why he’s still around this late in drafts, there’s your answer. Still, I think he’s well worth taking on a chance on given his athleticism and coverage chops—I just wouldn’t expect a whole lot from Medrano as a rookie outside of some special teams work.
What do you think about this potential draft class for the Falcons? Leave your draft takes in the comments below!
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With NFL free agency imminent, it’s time for some bold predictions for the Falcons in free agency. We bring you some hot takes on Atlanta’s potential moves, including Drew Dalman, Kirk Cousins, Kyle Pitts, and Mike Hughes.
With NFL free agency imminent, it’s time for some bold predictions for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Kevin Knight brings you his hottest takes on Atlanta’s potential moves, including Drew Dalman, Kirk Cousins, Kyle Pitts, and Mike Hughes, along with some spicy predictions on outside additions. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of the Dirty Birds and Brews podcast!
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Matthews gets a new payday and the Falcons get some breathing room against the cap.
Jake Matthews has been one of the core pieces of this Atlanta Falcons offense more or less since he was drafted. The team’s longtime left tackle now figures to be entering his first season where he won’t be protecting his quarterback’s blind side—Michael Penix is left-handed, you’ll note—but that doesn’t mean the team values the ultra-durable tackle any less.
Per Mike Garafolo at NFL Network, the Falcons have signed Jake Matthews to a new two year extension that will give him $38 million in guaranteed money and $45 million in total money; before that Matthews had $31 million left on his deal with no guaranteed money remaining.
We’ll have to see how it’s structured, but I suspect the Falcons intend this contract to do two things: Ensure they keep around a player that is still blocking at a high level into his 30s and free up some spending money in the here and now. Matthews’ total cap number was set to be close to $21.8 million this year, and chances are good the team significantly decreased that hit by hammering out a new deal. That will allow them to at least be cap compliant—they were close to $6 million over ahead of Wednesday’s start of free agency—and give them at least a little bit of money to sign new players.
D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Falcons got over $7 million in relief by making this move, making them cap compliant but obviously without much in the way of money to spend. More moves are coming.
The money is critical and a major area of focus so close to the new league year, but keeping Matthews around is a priority for a reason. He last missed a game in his rookie season, has quietly been a more effective run blocking presence the past couple of seasons, and typically is in the top ten or so left tackles in the league in terms of pass protection per sacks, pressures, and Pro Football Focus grades. You never know if a player will fall off a cliff as they get older, but Matthews has had a track record of quality play and good health that this team feels very comfortable banking on.
This likely won’t be the last move the Falcons make to free up cap space—it basically cannot be—but it’s a good start. Matthews seems increasingly likely to finish an excellent career right here in Atlanta.
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Atlanta’s starting center the past three seasons is headed to Chicago.
The Atlanta Falcons have been clearing cap space to make some noise in free agency, but that noise won’t include a boisterous cheer for the re-signing of their top impending free agent.
Per Adam Schefter (by way of Matt Miller, Twitter/X is broken), Drew Dalman has signed with the Chicago Bears, as long rumored. The Falcons now have to replace their starting center from the past three years.
Dalman, 26, was a coveted free agent because he’s younger, is an elite run blocker at the center position, and was entering a market without a lot of other top options. His come-and-go consistency with snapping and merely average pass protection are outweighed by those benefits for the Bears, who are trying to rebuild their offensive line, just as they were for a Falcons team that could run like the wind with Dalman at the pivot. I’m sure the team was hoping to keep him, but reports in recent weeks indicated they’d be unlikely to do so.
The Bears will take the risk that Dalman’s pass protection is a slight liability and that his recent injury history—he missed 11 games combined over the past two seasons—might become a trend line. There’s little question they’re getting a quality player.
Dalman joined the team as a 2021 fourth round pick, and after mostly sitting for the 2021 season, took over as the starting center in 2022. He’s been the start since, aside from when injuries or snapping wildness intruded, and has generally graded out as the best run blocking center in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. The eye test confirms that, and for a run-first Falcons team under Arthur Smith and one intent on using Bijan Robinson effectively under Raheem Morris, that was a godsend.
The Falcons will likely sign a veteran free agent or plunge into the draft to give themselves a starter, or at least someone to compete with Ryan Neuzil, a restricted free agent who now seems like a virtual lock to re-sign. Neuzil is not nearly the caliber of run blocker that Dalman is but is similar or better in terms of pass protection and may still have a higher ceiling to come given that he’s a recent convert to the position; former late pick Jovaughn Gwyn could also fight his way into the mix for a reserve role. Ex-Bears center Coleman Shelton would be a possible stopgap, Josh Myers would be a nice signing and a clear-cut starter, and Bradley Bozeman, Nick Gates, and others would give the Falcons Neuzil competition if they want him to have a chance to get the job but aren’t convinced he should be given it.
While there are defensive needs all over the place, center now becomes the need for an otherwise quite good Falcons offense, one that has four starters locked up along their offensive line at guard and tackle. We’ll wish Dalman well in Chicago, and we hope the Falcons can find an effective replacement here sooner than later.
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One of the best defensive linemen in team history is gone in a cap-cutting move.
On Sunday night, the Atlanta Falcons reportedly extended one long-tenured future Ring of Honor inductee in Jake Matthews. On Monday, they’re reportedly cutting ties with another legend, with the release of Grady Jarrett in a bid to save cap space ahead of the start of free agency.
Zach Klein of WSB TV had the news first. The Falcons are set to free up over $16 million in 2025 cap room, per Over the Cap, while taking a little over $4 million in dead money on.
Jarrett has already found a new home, landing with the Bears on the kind of three year deal the Falcons clearly had absolutely no interest in playing.
I won’t lie: I’m pretty devastated by this, even if I was bracing for the move. Jarrett is more than just a player who has been around a long time, as he’s one of the better defensive tackles in team history, the heart and soul of this team and one of its consistent, most outspoken leaders, and by all accounts one of the best people in the business. The Falcons may be able to match his production on the field with other players—playing a ton of snaps coming off a major injury, Jarrett had arguably the worst season of his career, even if that was still solid—but the many things he did for the franchise and the city of Atlanta are not so easily replaced.
A fifth round pick who somehow slid in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jarrett was a part-time player in year one before breaking out as a starter in 2016, putting together an excellent sophomore season that ended with him putting forth a heroic effort and sacking Tom Brady three times in the Super Bowl we otherwise don’t talk about. From there, he spent the better part of a decade anchoring this defensive line and providing a level of run defense that was chronically underrated. The two-time Pro Bowler leaves the Falcons 10th all-time in sacks, first in quarterback hits, and 15th in games played.
I’ll fondly remember a lot of those sacks and those huge run stops, but I’ll also remember the way a 31-year-old Jarrett played way too many snaps this past season in a doomed year coming off a major injury because the team needed him to, a campaign emblematic of how Jarrett did business. There was never any question that he was giving his all for the Falcons, from his emotional end of season pressers to the in-game effort, and that’s no small thing.
That carried over off the field. Jarrett was just this team’s 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee, the second time the team had nominated him for it, for the money, time, and energy he’s consistently given to Atlanta. Tori McElhaney wrote about a few of his initiatives here, from anti-bullying campaigns to scholarships to fighting pediatric cancer, but suffice to say Jarrett has made a profound impact throughout his career.
On the field this coming season the rationale for the change is clearer. The Falcons will lean on David Onyemata (assuming he’s still around), young players like Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus, and at least a handful of additions. The fact that the Falcons freed up so much room and still have an avenue to do more means they could very well look for a considerable upgrade up front to anchor a rebuilt, young line, and that’s my fervent wish. The hope is that Ruke will be ready to take on a major role in his second season, the way Jarrett did in 2016, and replace at least some of his production while the Falcons look for more upgrades up front.
Last season underscored the extent to which relying so heavily on Jarrett and Onyemata with thin depth was a massive mistake, so the release of Jarrett to free up considerable cap space must go toward addressing the line and the larger defense. While the defense needs help at all three levels and should get it, Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich both had extremely strong fronts at times at their previous stints with the Rams and Jets, respectively, and understand how critical it is that the Falcons upgrade up front.
We’ll have more of a proper tribute to Jarrett soon, but all of us here at The Falcoholic love the man, and we wish him well wherever he lands next.
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Atlanta adds a veteran fresh off an 8.5 sack season to their EDGE group.
THEY DID IT.
(He has the same risks as Matt Judon and shouldn’t be viewed as a savior).
THEY SIGNED AN EDGE RUSHER.
Leonard Floyd has returned home to the state of Georgia to take on the daunting task of fixing the Atlanta Falcons pass rush.
When Floyd was released earlier today, he made too much sense for the Falcons. He has the Raheem connection (Floyd played for him in LA when Morris was the defensive coordinator) and the Georgia connection (native and went to UGA). He can execute the sim pressures Morris likes to run and would fill a defined role, and he has at least eight sacks in each of the past five seasons.
That being said, he possesses the same risks as signing Matt Judon or any EDGE at this stage of their NFL career. He’s 32, his best playing years are behind him, and he can’t carry a pass rush. Floyd is a solid depth who will take on essential snaps, but he needs to be featured in a rotation. His body has a lot of mileage, and he’s at the point in his career where EDGE production typically falls off a cliff. If Atlanta can add others and use him as a third or fourth man, fans can feel more comfortable about this move.
However, the $10M price tag isn’t cheap and suggests that Atlanta plans on squeezing every last drop out of Floyd. This move won’t fix the pass rush on its own, but it at least adds a proven veteran to a room, one that can execute the playbook. Baby steps, I suppose.
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After a solid season as a starter in 2024, Hughes returns.
Mike Hughes is back after a much improved second year in Atlanta.
The cornerback found a role on the boundary in the Atlanta Falcons zone-heavy scheme. Mike Hughes may have been the only player on Atlanta’s defense who took a step forward with Jimmy Lake’s arrival.
After being put in the slot under Nielsen’s man-heavy scheme, many fans (myself included) were skeptical about bringing the cornerback back. However, the team’s plan for him was well thought out, and Hughes showed that he could deliver competent play on the outside. Hughes was also a stout run defender and quite the thumper for a defensive back his size. High-effort veterans with established floors are the archetype Jerry Gray has been after since he arrived.
Naysayers will point to his 2-3 coverage busts that resulted in big plays, but unfortunately, coverage busts were a feature of Lake’s defense that even Jessie Bates fell victim to. That being said, Hughes’s contract accounts for his weaknesses. He’s inked for three years at the cost of one AJ Terrell contract year. That’s a digestible financial pill when Hughes has shown he can be a serviceable stopgap while offering good depth if/when the Falcons decide to spend a premium upgrading that position.
The Falcons still have a flurry of needs, and the market isn’t bare, but it’s undoubtedly picked over. Terry Fontenot is going to have to work some magic to improve this defense.
Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images
It means the team can match any offer Neuzil receives, which they almost certainly will.
Those of us bracing for Drew Dalman’s possible departure thought Ryan Neuzil was a logical candidate to, at the very least, compete to replace him. That appears to be the plan for the Atlanta Falcons.
Per Tori McElhaney with the Falcons, the team has placed a right of first refusal tender on Neuzil. That means they have the right to match any contract offer he receives, which by itself is likely to scare off all but Neuzil’s most ardent suitors.
Neuzil was an undrafted free agent at guard who the Falcons and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford obviously liked, and after they cross-trained him at center, he had an opportunity to get playing time at multiple positions. That really paid off last year, when Neuzil replaced an injured Drew Dalman and wound up drawing eight starts. Solid in both run blocking and pass protection—though Dalman is obviously better at the former, he’s not that obviously better at the latter—Neuzil was not a standout but was a fine starting option for more or less that entire run.
The Falcons won’t just hand Neuzil the starting center job, but he should get a chance to compete barring a big free agent signing in the coming days, and it’s possible his only real competition will be former seventh round pick Jovaughn Gwyn. If the team feels comfortable with Neuzil’s progression and the talent around him making up for any hiccups, the opportunity to have an affordable, in-house starter at center will likely be quite appealing. At worst, Neuzil is excellent depth who can credibly fill in at guard and center, which is valuable on its own; it would be nice to see the Falcons at least explore the center market to ensure they have competition and/or experienced depth.
We’ll see if something wild happens and a team makes Neuzil an offer the Falcons decide not to match, but my expectation is that he’ll return and compete for the starting center job in 2025. The fact that he’s gone from undrafted guard to presumptive starter at center in the span of a few seasons with the Falcons is a testament both to Ledford’s work and Neuzil’s ability, so I’m glad he’s back.
