Every NFL team makes mistakes in the NFL Draft; it is part of what makes it such an intriguing event. Oftentimes, the difference between the good and bad teams comes down to who makes fewer mistakes.
The Atlanta Falcons' recent drafts have been up and down. For the most part, they have done a great job on Day 1 -- it is what happens after that has killed them.
Former general managers Thomas Dimitroff and Terry Fontenot each made numerous mistakes that cost them their jobs. Let's take a look at some of their bad decisions.
Falcons couldn't have made worse NFL Draft mistakes than these 3
2021: Terry Fontenot bombs his first draft
Kyle Pitts and Drew Dalman were the two 2021 picks that made an impact in Fontenot's inaugural nine-pick draft.
Second-rounder Richie Grant, third-rounder Jalen Mayfield, fourth-rounder Darren Hall, fifth-rounders Ta'Quon Graham, Ade Ogundeji, and Avery Williams, and sixth-rounder Frank Darby made minimal impacts during their varying number of years in Atlanta.
We do have to point out that Graham and Williams had their moments, but were never difference-makers. Meanwhile, Grant, Mayfield, Hall, and Ogundeji harmed the team during their significant number of starts.
Dayo Odeyingbo, Nick Bolton, and Creed Humprey were drafted after Grant, Milton Williams, Nico Collins, and Quinn Meinerz after Mayfield, and Amon-Ra St. Brown after Hall.
Safe to say, this draft put the Falcons behind the eight ball.
2025: Trading a first-round pick for James Pearce Jr.
Whoever thought we would be sitting here talking about the Pearce Jr. trade being a disaster...
Pearce Jr. finished as a Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist, and then everything went downhill. We aren't going to get into the details of his legal trouble, but Fontenot put all the chips in the middle of the table for a player who had off-field concerns.
No matter what his future is, it is painful to sit out the first round in Ian Cunningham's first draft because of the former GM's massive risk.
2017: Trading up for Takkarist McKinley
Dimitroff got a lot of hate despite landing some solid players in the mid rounds during the Dan Quinn era. A big part of that hate comes from his first pick after suffering a crushing Super Bowl loss.
The Falcons decided to trade up five spots to draft UCLA edge rusher Takk McKinley. He immediately took the stage and put on one of the most entertaining draft-day speeches we have ever heard. Too bad that didn't translate to the field.
And to add insult to injury, future Pro Football Hall of Famer T.J. Watt was drafted four picks later by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead of having a franchise pass-rusher, the Dirty Birds were left with a pass rusher who laughed at his general manager for not trading him for more than his worth.
Takk McKinley stats w/ ATL:
- 49 games (25 starts)
- 17.5 sacks
- 79 tackles
- 22 tackles for loss
T.J. Watt stats:
- 135 games (135 starts)
- 115 sacks
- 517 tackles
- 136 tackles for loss
The pass-rush-starved Falcons had a solution sitting in their laps and they completely messed it up, so for as bad as the Pearce trade was, the McKinley deal was even worse.
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