Atlanta Falcons 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Washington DT Anterio Thompson

The Atlanta Falcons are hoping to hit on a developmental pick with the selection of Anterio Thompson. He's got a great athletic profile and build to base a projection off of. He also has some interesting things he did on special teams that could earn him a spot on the roster for the Falcons with their mediocre special teams unit. Atlanta should have the time to develop him, but it's unlikely he's an instant impact kind of guy outside of special teams.

Evaluating what the Atlanta Falcons are getting in Anterio Thompson

Anterio Thompson, Defensive Lineman, University of Washington

Athletic Comparison and Numbers

Grady Jarrett was a long-time franchise member of the Falcons and was beloved by fans, coaches and team personnel alike. If Thompson can somehow reach this kind of potential that Jarrett reached, he will be the biggest steal of the entire draft and easily the best pick. It's doubtful he gets to that point, but even a poor-man's Jarrett should be valuable through his rookie deal.

Stats and Awards

2025: 13 Games Played, 30 Tackles, 2.5 Tackles for Loss, 1.5 Sacks, 3 QB Hurries, 2 Pass Deflections
2024: 13 Games Played, 34 Tackles, 1.5 Tackles for Loss, 1.0 Sacks, 6 QB Hurries, 1 Fumble Recovered, 2 Pass Deflections, 1 Blocked Kick
2023: 7 Games Played, 1 Tackle, 2 Blocked Kicks
2022: ** Played at Iowa Western Community College**

Highlight Reel

Scouting Report

Strengths

Anterio Thompson has exceptional athleticism and is able to use it to penetrate quickly in the run and pass game. He has shown that he can get through the line to cause chaos forcing tackles for loss, even if they aren't his tackles for loss. He has violent hands to get through blockers and can handle double teams effectively. Thompson profiles like a perfect quarterback spy in the new era to at least help slow down opposing quarterbacks on any runs between the tackles.

Weaknesses

Because he has constantly changed schools every season, Thompson hasn't established himself well enough to be a consistent producer for his team. He does sometimes get washed out by reach blockers against zone runs and doesn't have the functional strength against those road-grading gap runs. Thompson has to get a bit better coming off the ball and timing the snap better. On top of all of that, he needs to develop a proper pass rushing plan, because that's been lacking in his career.

Intangibles & Off-Field Red Flags

Anterio Thompson has a reliable motor on film rarely taking any plays off and has improved each year despite going to four different colleges throughout his career. His off-field profile shows no arrests or suspensions, but overall, this is a bit of an unknown to public sources. He should fit in well if his work ethic is as good as his motor.

NFL Stylistic Comparison: Tommy Togiai

Much like Tommy Togiai, Thompson is a raw prospect coming out of college and has to develop his tools. If Thompson can prove to be the kind of reliable gap splitter in the pros that Togiai has been for the Texans, the Falcons will have a very solid pick here. Thompson's high-end potential looks to be that of his athletic comparison of Grady Jarrett, but chances of that happening are very slim.

Standard Scheme fits

DT 1T 3T

In the Falcons scheme, they believe in having penetrating defensive tackles who will attack the gaps that they are aligned in. Anterio Thompson fits in this mold extremely well, as he's more of a pure penetrator, but he does his best in the A-gap (between the guard and center) and B-gap (between the tackle and guard). He will be what teams would consider a nose tackle within this scheme and should see a lot of time in the A-gap once he earns it.

How does he project to fit in with the Falcons?

The Falcons have a lot of talent on the defensive line, and Thompson will have to earn playing time after battling with LaCale London and Maason Smith. In his first year, he will have to earn that playing time on special teams, more than likely. Thompson should see some snaps in pre-season to earn that roster spot over London. If he beats London out for a job, it would be shocking based on how London has played throughout his Falcons career.

Why DL Anterio Thompson instead of DL Tim Keenan or DL Zxavian Harris?

Tim Keenan was one of the best nose tackle prospects in the draft this year, but it's understandable why the Falcons would pass up on him since he's not ideal for the scheme that Atlanta will be running with Nate Ollie. Zxavian Harris had a lot of off-field questions and after the situation with James Pearce Jr., no NFL team took a chance on Harris until undrafted free agency. Thompson's athleticism and ceiling were why he was taken higher than the two with better film.

All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.

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