Since the Atlanta Falcons made just six selections during the 2026 NFL Draft, they are going to really have to get their bang for their buck on the undrafted free agent market. They had a strong draft class, but the UDFAs signings are meant to preach Kevin Stefanski's goal of breeding competition.
Since the draft ended on Saturday evening, the Falcons have signed 16 undrafted free agents. And of those 16 players, five of them (31.3%) play the wide receiver position. That's not a coincidence either. Receiver has been one of the biggest priorities for Ian Cunningham and this new regime all offseason.
The Falcons have signed the following wideouts: Wisconsin's Vinny Anthony, Minnesota's Le'Meke Brockington, Duke's Andrel Anthony, Georgia Tech's Malik Rutherford, and Miami's Keelan Marion. None of them are going to set the world on fire, but at least Atlanta is giving them a shot in camp.
The Falcons' competition for receiver depth is officially ongoing
The Dirty Birds opting to sign a couple of receivers is one thing. Signing five is a pattern. It shows that anything goes at the position, and that Cunningham and Stefanski meant it when they said they wanted to rebuild the receiver room, as that was an issue that plagued the previous regime in 2025.
We know that these four receivers have their roster spots on lock: Drake London, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheus, and the recently-drafted Zachariah Branch. That means two spots are up for grabs between five depth wideouts, which doesn't account for the undrafted free agents they signed.
- Casey Washington
- Dylan Drummond
- Chris Blair
- Nick Nash
- Deven Thompkins
If you count giving the undrafted guys a chance to prove themselves, that makes for 10 players competing for two positions on the depth chart. I'm sure a few of will end up on the practice squad, but most of them are fighting an uphill battle in Atlanta, but the more options you have the better.
Washington is in an interesting position. He carved out for a large role for himself late into 2025 and early in 2025, but played himself into Raheem Morris' doghouse with some late healthy scratches. And now that a new regime is in town, it may be harder for him to play himself into their good graces.
Drummond and Thompkins had some nice moments when given opportunities down the stretch last season, but they were only given those opportunities because of how awful the receiver room was. But Nash was the prized possession of the Falcons' last UDFA class and didn't get much run in 2025.
Of the undrafted guys, I woukd give Vinny Anthony (who the Falcons paid a guaranteed $265,000) and Keelan Marion the best chance to survive the summer. Marion was an All-American return man at BYU in 2024, and Anthony II is someone who Stefanski and OC Tommy Rees can utilize creatively.
There are a lot of ways this WR battle could play out, especially factoring in the need for a new return man (which Branch should help fill) so a lot of chaos can ensue this summer.
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