Since the Atlanta Falcons hired Terry Fontenot, there has been plenty of missed opportunity. While his track record early in the draft is stellar, his roster management and success rate on Day 2 and Day 3 picks have left a lot to be desired, which is why is job security is starting to come into question.
As the Dirty Birds brace for their eighth consecutive season without a playoff appearance, it's becoming even harder for Arthur Blank to justify retaining the fifth-year general manager. However, the rousing success of Atlanta's 2025 NFL Draft class might have just bought Fontenot another year.
Despite the Falcons sitting at 4-7, the 44-year-old GM has a real chance to stick around in Atlanta for a third head coach now. Three of the four rookies he drafted lead all rookies in a defensive statistic, which has spearheaded an impressive defensive turnaround under first-year DC Jeff Ulbrich.
Falcons' 2025 NFL Draft class could be what saves Terry Fontenot's job
The selections of perennial Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker have helped revitalize the pass-rush, Xavier Watts has quietly shined at safety, and Billy Bowman Jr. shined out of the nickel before his season ended prematurely due to a torn Achilles.
Walker leads all rookies in sacks, Pearce leads all rookies in pressure rate, and Watts leads all rookies in interceptions. That's no small feat for a defense that was among the worst in the NFL last season, as it took Fontenot just four picks to silence all of the doubts about bolstering a putrid pass-rush.
Ulbrich's defense has shattered franchise sack records across the last few weeks, and that has made the secondary's job easier. Watts picked off Tyler Shough in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Saints while Pearce logged a team-high 1.5 sacks in Week 12 as the defense managed to sack Shough five times.
The only true first-round disappointment Fontenot has drafted was Kyle Pitts, and even he's still had a respectable NFL career. However, he followed that up by drafting Drake London and Bijan Robinson in the first round of back-to-back drafts, which makes the sting of Pitts' struggles go down far easier.
As impressive as Pearce has been, the decision to trade Atlanta's 2026 first-round pick to move up for the 21-year-old was met with widespread criticism. However, his role in the quarterback mismanagement could do him in, but the fact that his rookie class is impressing is giving fans plenty of optimism going forward.