The 2026 NFL Draft will be one of the first benchmarks in what sort of general manager the Atlanta Falcons hired in Ian Cunningham. They enter this draft with just five selections and no first-round picks, so the longtime scout is really going have to dig deep in his bag of tricks later this offseason.
During his opening press conference, Cunningham spoke constantly on the importance of draft capital. He referred to draft picks as "currency" and made it clear he hopes to stockpile picks over the years, which could mean that the Falcons are hoping to trade down and land more selections in 2026.
Ian Cunningham said the team is clearly aiming to build through the draft and accrue picks to do so. Mentioned that his first draft in Chicago they also only had 5 picks, and ended the process with 10 drafted players.
— Joe Patrick (@JoePatrick) February 3, 2026
While discussing this, the 40-year-old mentioned his first draft as the assistant GM in Chicago. Because of their trade up for Justin Fields from the previous draft, the Bears entered 2022 with just five draft picks and no first-rounders, yet came away from that NFL Draft having selected 10 players.
Because of the trade up for James Pearce Jr. that Terry Fontenot made, the Dirty Birds don't pick until No. 48 overall, which is a pretty long wait for a first-time GM. But if they can shop that pick to move down a couple spots and acquire some more mid-round picks, which would be far more worthwhile.
The Falcons could be considering trading down from the No. 48 pick if Ian Cunningham is serious about hoarding draft capital
The Falcons have several needs they need to address this April, but wide receiver, defensive back, and both sides of the trenches are the main ones, and they could also add QB insurance. This is too many needs to address in five picks, especially since they won't be able to land a blue-chip prospect.
Atlanta has been consistently linked to receiver help next to Drake London, but the 2026 class is really deep at both WR and cornerback. That means they don't have to force that need early, so if Cunningham is able to better navigate the draft board, that's an opportunity they should jump at.
He's right in that you can never have too many picks, but none of that matters if you don't make them count. Obviously, no GM is gonna bat 1.000 as a talent evaluator, especially since the final two or three rounds are a complete crapshoot, but good scouting departments can find talent anywhere in the draft.
You never know how the board is going to look until you're on the clock, so knowing that he's willing to adapt to be both aggressive and conservative when the opportunity presents itself is exactly what the Falcons need from the leader of their revamped front office.