Grading all six picks the Atlanta Falcons made during the 2026 NFL Draft

We talked about it ad nauseam leading up to the draft: the Atlanta Falcons were cornered after trading away their first-round pick in last year's draft.

We knew we would have to wait a long time before hearing who the newest Falcon was, but it was well worth the wait with the selection of Avieon Terrell. From there, they drafted three more defenders and two offensive players.

Let's take an early look at how the Dirty Birds graded out with each of their six picks.

Ian Cunningham aced his first draft as Atlanta Falcons general manager

What. A. Home. Run.

The Falcons were able to land a top-20 talent without a first-round pick. On top of that, they land their superstar's little brother, so they know exactly what he is about on and off the football field.

The younger Terrell is a fiesty corner who plays bigger than his size. While his older brother hasn't produced as many turnovers as he would've liked to this point in his career, that won't be a problem for the newcomer.

As Dabo Swinney said, "this guy is a fighter," and will "claw your eyeballs out." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Georgia fans were elated as they saw their top receiver come off the board to their NFL team in the third round. There is no doubt the Falcons needed speed, and they got it in Zachariah Branch.

He should've been gone by this point in the draft. But teams were likely uncertain about his size and lack of diversity in his usage at UGA.

While I like the pick, Yahoo Fantasy Sports pointed out one concern:

Branch has to develop his route tree if he wants to be more than a gadget player. Hopefully, the coaching staff can do that.

This is one of those picks where you question it immediately, but then the hours pass and the optimism grows.

This all comes down to Jeff Ulbrich; this pick wouldn't have been great for most teams. But for this defensive coordinator, it was perfect. We have seen him develop safety-like bodies into excellent linebackers in this league (Deion Jones, De'Vondre Campbell, Jamien Sherwood, Divine Deablo).

Matt Ryan and company found an unheralded player whose best football is ahead of him.

I don't know exactly what to think of this selection. On one hand, you get an athletic defensive tackle who profiles similarly to Grady Jarrett. On the other hand, he jumped from college to college and never produced.

This gets an average grade because there were other players on the board that were easier projections. However, you can't hate taking a chance on a player in the sixth round.

No one would've believed Harold Perkins Jr. would be a sixth-round pick after his unbelievable freshman season in 2022. But here we are.

In his first two seasons at LSU, Perkins had 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and 146 tackles. His production has dipped since, but the Falcons are smart for taking a shot on him in the sixth round.

Ulbrich and Nate Ollie will be tasked with developing this 6-foot-1, 225-pound athlete. Clearly, that isn't ideal size for an outside linebacker, but he has shown incredible bend and speed off the edge.

The Falcons, much like they did last year, finish their draft off with an offensive tackle. This time, they grab the gigantic 6-foot-6, 330-pound Ethan Onianwa. Obviously, you like the size, but his athleticism isn't great.

I would've liked to have seen Atlanta take a shot on another speedster wide receiver like Deion Burks, a power running back to develop behind Brian Robinson, or an international player like the Eagles got in Uar Bernard; someone who has clearer pathway to making the roster.

All told, the Falcons nailed the draft. They filled their defense with fire and athleticism, while also adding a playmaker on offense.

Somehow, they made it feel like they were present on Day 1 with their Day 2 success.

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