Terry Fontenot was fired after his fourth season with the Atlanta Falcons. His tenure was filled with a lot of good, but the bad was what led to a lack of team success and his dismissal.
Particularly, Fontenot struggled drafting in the mid-rounds. The trades of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones gave him plenty of bites at the apple, but he always failed to take advantage.
And because of that, he will see many of his draft picks on the street with him.
These draft picks will see their Falcons career end with their general manager
1. Troy Andersen
Failing to hit on Troy Andersen hasn't been talked about enough. The second-round pick has haunted this franchise, even with it being nearly five years ago.
They traded Julio Jones and what was their main return? A linebacker who hasn't played more than seven games since his limited 17-game rookie season and 26 of his possible 68 games.
While Andersen has the potential to be a Pro Bowler, his availability is what matters. The Falcons will let him walk in free agency because of that.
2. DeAngelo Malone
Speaking of trading a franchise great for nothing; Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts for a third-round pick that turned into DeAngelo Malone.
Malone has been used almost exclusively on special teams. He has three sacks in his career, two of which came in the same game, and a game-sealing interception. Outside of those handful of plays, he hasn't lived up to his billing.
3. Arnold Ebiketie
Arnold Ebiketie's talent is obvious when he shows it, but it has been displayed inconsistently.
The second-round pick will be another bust in Fontenot's trophy case. It will be best for both the Falcons and Ebiketie to not reconnect for another year.
Hopefully, he can land with a team that can unlock his consistency and double-digit sack potential.
4. JD Bertrand
No one will argue that JD Bertrand has seen too much playing time during his two-year career.
When the Falcons lost Divine Deablo for a few weeks this season, they initially turned to Bertrand, and it was ugly. He eventually was benched and didn't see much action until the season finale, which should conclude his time in Atlanta.
Outside of special teams, there is no reason for the Falcons not to release him.
5. Casey Washington
As crazy as it sounds, Casey Washington is a big reason for Fontenot's firing. The general manager left the wide receiver room alone during the offseason, expecting for the starting trio to have no issues, and it blew up in his face.
There was also way too much faith put into the sixth-round pick out of Illinois. He started as the primary backup, found himself starting, and then was inactive the final few weeks.
If the new front office and coaching staff don't see him as a developmental project, he is as good as gone..