The Atlanta Falcons' revamped coaching staff has taken more headlines but Ian Cunningham is finally starting to fulfill his vision as general manager. He's expected to add a high-profile lieutenant with prior GM experience for extra input, but he's also making sure they aren't letting top executives leave.
It was announced yesterday that the Falcons are promoting director of college scouting Tokunbo "Tumbo" Abanikanda to director of scouting in order to keep him in the front office. Since he's been with the Falcons since 2012, that's not someone Cunningham should want to see pursue other jobs.
The Dirty Birds are fresh off of their best draft under Terry Fontenot, as four of their five draft picks started on defense and turned in productive rookie seasons. The only player who didn't? Seventh-round tackle Jack Nelson, but an 80% hit rate in an NFL Draft is a wildly impressive feat regardless.
Additionally, the Falcons were bold by trading their 2026 first-round pick to move back into the first round to select James Pearce Jr., but that trade paid off handsomely. Pearce led all rookies with 10.5 sacks and he and Jalon Walker proved themselves as the future of this Atlanta pass-rush in 2025.
Falcons are retaining Tumbo Abanikanda by promoting him to director of scouting
You can argue that Abanikanda wasn't the one directly making the selections, as Fontenot was, but he deserves some credit. Xavier Watts was drafted late in the third round and was one of the best rookies in football, while fourth-round DB Billy Bowman Jr. emerged as the perfect swiss army knife.
Bowman will be the team's nickel cornerback of the future, while Watts led all rookies with five interceptions. Yes, Jeff Ulbrich deserves his credit too, but who knows if any of these players would have been on Fontenot's radar if not for Abikanda and the scouting department giving their input.
The 39-year-old scout has been with the Falcons for nearly 15 years now, so he's clearly paid his dues. He started out as a scouting assistant, then an area scout before rising up the food chain to become a national scout before he was promoted to become to director of college scouting in 2024.
If you ask me, that's a pretty stellar resume. Abanikanda was here under both Thomas Dimitroff and Fontenot, so he' clearly well-respected in Flowery Branch. Cunningham is still mapping out this front office, but he should be aware of how valuable keeping Abanikanda around will be for the Falcons.