The Atlanta Falcons don’t have a first-round pick and they only have two selections inside the top 100, which means whoever they take on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft has to matter. And for first-year GM Ian Cunningham, the pressure is mounting.
In Ryan Wilson’s latest three-round mock draft for CBS Sports, the Falcons walk away from Round 2 with a player who changes the structure of the defense. At pick No. 48, Wilson sent South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse to Atlanta. And the fit next to A.J. Terrell is almost too seamless.
Mike Hughes is entering the final year of his deal after an injury-riddled inconsistent 2025 season. Behind him, the depth chart is full of question marks and role players. They need someone offenses have to respect on the other boundary. That’s exactly what Cisse projects to be at the next level.
Brandon Cisse would be the perfect complement to A.J. Terrell for the Atlanta Falcons
At 6-foot and 190 pounds, Brandon Cisse’s profile reads like it was designed in a lab for press-man systems:
- 4.40 speed at his pro day
- 41 inch vertical
- 10’11” broad jump
- Elite lateral quickness and transition ability
- Comfortable traveling with WR1s outside and in the slot
In his lone season at South Carolina after transferring from NC State, Cisse allowed just a 47.4% catch rate, one of the lowest marks in the SEC. He’s physical at the line, disruptive at the catch point, and plays with the kind of edge you want from a boundary corner.
Cisse is 20 years old. Hyper athletic. Physical. He's raw in zone coverage but advanced in man. Exactly the type of traits-based defender you develop into a long term starter. And knowing how Jeff Ulbrich loves his freak athletes, he could continue to grow with this young defensive nucleus.
And CBS didn’t stop there
Wilson then doubled down on the revamped defensive identity for Ulbrich in Round 3, sending Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis from to Atlanta at pick 79 to replace the departed Kaden Elliss. Louis ran a 4.53, jumped 39.5 inches, and plays like a box safety trapped in a linebacker’s body. He has 24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and six interceptions over the last two seasons.
Pair Kyle Louis with Divine Deablo, Christian Harris, and a healthy Troy Andersen, and all of the sudden Atlanta has speed at the second level that matches what Cisse and Terrell give them on the outside.
If the real draft falls anything like this, the Atlanta Falcons could be adding the perfect long-term running mate for Terrell and building a defense that finally has the personnel to play as aggressively as Ulbrich wants to call it.