The Falcons lend a potential starter at safety with the Notre Dame product.
The Atlanta Falcons moved up again, jumping from pick 101 to pick 96 to select ____ with their late third round draft selection, which they received from the Los Angeles Rams as part of a larger trade on Night 1 of the draft. They used that pick on Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts.
In Watts, the Falcons are getting an extremely smart, instinctual safety who can pair with Jessie Bates to give opposing offenses fits, especially with his ability to make plays on the ball. The Falcons will need to work with Watts on his tackling and run defense to make him a truly elite player, but he should be considered the early favorite to start next to Bates immediately and gives the team a strong safety room alongside Jordan Fuller and DeMarcco Hellams.
Trade details:
Falcons get 96 (safety Xavier Watts)
Eagles get 101, 2026 5th— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2025
It’s a pick that’s very difficult to dislike, as many mock drafts and analysts had Watts coming off the board as early as the second round, and his talent would have warranted it. The Falcons scuffled too often in the secondary a year ago, and once they feel he’s ready to start, will get a player who rarely makes mistakes to replace Justin Simmons. Fuller may or may not be the Week 1 starter as a familiar face for Raheem Morris and reliable option in coverage, but Watts will eventually take over. He and Bates could and should be an NFL-leading safety tandem in terms of interceptions, and Watts’ stinginess in the red zone in particular—he allowed just one touchdown in his college career, per Pro Football Focus—could not be more welcome for a team that struggled there.
Again, Watts is not necessarily a finished product, with scouts most often knocking his inconsistent tackling. That’s something the Falcons will want him to iron out, but he’s good enough to do that, and it’s not like the team has enjoyed steady tackling from the secondary recently anyways. Watts’ ability to make disruptive plays and be a shutdown option in coverage makes him an exciting get for the Falcons, who went from just two day one picks to three likely starters, albeit at the cost of a 2026 first and fifth rounder.
The Falcons originally had the 46th pick in the draft tonight, before moving it to the Rams along with their first round pick in 2026 in exchange for picks 26 and 101, which they used to take James Pearce Jr. and then make another trade. They gave up a 2026 fifth round pick and 101 to get to 96, and continue to prioritize the defense with this pick.
Give Watts a warm welcome to Atlanta, if you would.