The Atlanta Falcons have given fans a reason for offseason excitement with a talented rookie class and the league's recent schedule release. For the first time since the 2016 season, there is a level of palpable energy around the Falcons that the franchise has long lacked. The biggest piece of this is having what the team believes is stability at the quarterback position in Michael Penix Jr.
The quarterback has a wealth of weapons that could easily be pointed to as among the league's most underrated pieces. However, this isn't the direction PFF took when examining who they believed to be Atlanta's most underrated player. The piece named David Onyemata as the Falcons most overlooked player heading into the 2025 season.
David Onyemata is a surprise choice when looking at the underrated Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Allgeier, Matthew Bergeron, Ray-Ray McCloud, or Darnell Mooney appear to be superior options to Onyemata. This isn't a slight to the veteran defender, but rather pointing out the reality of how badly Atlanta's 2024 defensive line struggles. A unit that has since lost the presence of veteran Grady Jarrett.
Onyemata is an aging defender who plays the run well, but hasn't put up the pressures or impact plays Atlanta was hoping for. Perhaps with the pass rushing addition of Leonard Floyd, Jalon Walker, and James Pearce Jr. this changes. However, it is still a surprising choice for an Atlanta team with a myriad of underrated pieces.
Even corner A.J. Terrell doesn't receive his due because of the chaos he has been consistently thrown into. Putting the corner as Atlanta's most underrated defender would have been a great choice as well.
For Atlanta, the team has to hope that this selection is a sign of things to come from the aging veteran. If Atlanta's defense is going to take a leap forward it is going to require a step forward from a shaky defensive depth chart. Onyemata must be able to impact the game far more consistently not only with the team's new pass rushing addition but to help offset the loss of leader and respected veteran Grady Jarrett.