Anterio Thompson never expected his journey to play out like this. He started his college football career at the Juco level, yet four years later, he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. And when that phone call came in, nobody was in more disbelief than Thompson himself.
A video of the Falcons' draft call with the 23-year-old has gotten some buzz on social media, and when you see it, you'll get why. Multiple times during that phone call, he had to ask if Atlanta was for real, and Ian Cunningham had to reassure him that this was real and he was in fact not dreaming.
While addressing the media afterward, Thompson revealed that he genuinely thought this was a prank call because he could not fathom the reality. It wasn't until he heard Nate Ollie's voice on that phone call that he realized that this was true and he would be beginning his NFL carer as a Falcon.
Anterio Thompson's draft call with the Falcons will tug on your heartstrings
Not only did Thompson speak to Cunningham and Ollie, he spoke to basically every person in the war room who played a factor in his selection. Kevin Stefanski. Jeff Ulbrich. Matt Ryan. He even got to speak with Josh Blank, and for a guy who has been through as much as him, that means everything.
The sweetest part of the call was hearing Thompson's reaction to getting to talk to Matt Ryan. It isn't every day you get a former NFL MVP calling you on draft day, and he was genuinely awe-struck at the chance to talk to the franchise legend-turned-president of football. It sounded like it was the icing on the cake of a dream come true.
The reason why Thompson was "shaking" is because he has had to work incredibly hard to get here, and hearing his name called, even on Day 3, is proof that hard work pays off. Countless people dream of making the NFL, but only a select few are able to accomplish that goal in ways that Thompson has.
The 6-foot-2, 306-pound defensive tackle was a Juco player who worked his way up to Iowa, then spent a season at Western Michigan before spending his senior season at Washington. Thompson has clearly been through adversity before, but knowing someone believes in his upside is major.
Thompson is a bit undersized, but what he lacks in height he makes up for in athleticism--which is a must playing for Ulbrich and Ollie. He's a good scheme fit, so even though they believed in him enough to use a draft pick on him, the road ahead will get tougher- but if anyone can handle it, he can.
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