The Atlanta Falcons have to get it right in the draft. Even if they had their best season since 2017, the Dirty Birds still finished below .500 at 8-9 and missed the NFC playoffs for the seventh year in a row. This has been the longest active playoff drought in my lifetime. The last time Atlanta failed to qualify for the postseason this many years in a row was from 1983 to 1988. This team is so close to winning.
What has hurt the Falcons over the last few years has been how unproductive their mid-round picks have been. While Terry Fontenot has hit on one first-round pick after another, many of his second, third and fourth-round picks leave a lot to be desired. With the Falcons only having five picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, now is not the time to waste any of them. Can we get a great draft, please?
With the 2025 NFL Draft a little over two months out, I will once again put forth an NFL mock draft outlining their first three picks. Since Atlanta does not have a third-round pick this year, I will use their fourth-round pick instead to suffice this exercise. Atlanta's first three picks this year will be No. 15 overall in the first round, No. 46 overall in the second round and No. 117 overall in the fourth round.
Without further ado, here is who I have the Falcons selecting as February starts to wind down.
Atlanta Falcons first-round pick (No. 15) overall: Marshall Thundering Herd edge rusher Mike Green
I decided to go in a different direction here. While in most mocks I will honestly end up having the Falcons taking one of three first-round talents out of Georgia in either safety Malaki Starks, edge rusher Jalon Walker or edge rusher Mykel Williams, I thought I would see what happens if Terry Fontenot decided to take a flier on Mike Green out of Marshall to satisfy Atlanta's pass-rushing need.
Green has really come on of late in draft boards. He played fantastic football down the stretch for Charles Huff at Marshall. While the end of the Thundering Herd's season was clunky with Huff leaving for Southern Miss, Green marveled at the Senior Bowl. What I like about players who shine during Senior Bowl practice is that it may do a better job of leveling the playing field between competition.
Atlanta needs to go defense at No. 15, but I am coming around on the idea of that guy being Green.
Atlanta Falcons second-round pick (No. 46 overall): Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts
The Falcons need more help on defense than just the pass rush. While I think they could conceivably go with a wide receiver in the second round, I have a strong feeling that defensive back is the way to go. In all honesty, I could see them flipping to an edge rusher in the second round at No. 46 if they see a cornerback they like at No. 15. However, they will get more value by taking one in the second round.
Although not exactly a cornerback, I love Xavier Watts' instincts as a football player. He reminds me of what made Charles Tillman so special, as well as what we have seen out of Tyrann Mathieu and Jessie Bates III in the league for years. None of them were first-round picks, by the way... While the Notre Dame safety offers high variance coming out, Atlanta needs more instinctive players on its defense.
Without Watts, is Notre Dame even playing Ohio State in the national championship game last year?
Atlanta Falcons fourth-round pick (No. 117 overall): Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon Jr.
Oh, who am I kidding? I could not help myself. While I still need to do my research when it comes to who the Falcons could take with their fourth-round pick at No. 117 overall, I would be hard-pressed to pass on Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. with that selection. He offers great instincts and high-end upside as a quality mid-round pick. My thought is he would fit in quite well with Atlanta's scheme.
If the Falcons were to go in another direction besides linebacker in the fourth round, receiver is probably my next best bet, possibly tight end if Kyle Pitts' status with the team becomes unclear. Regardless, Terry Fontenot needs to get at least a starting-level player with Atlanta's fourth-round pick. Mondon may not ever be a Pro Bowler in this league, but I watched him star for years at UGA.
I would be utterly shocked if two of the Falcons' first three picks this spring are not for the defense.