For the first time in Terry Fontenot’s tenure as general manager, the Atlanta Falcons will enter the offseason with stability at the quarterback position. Michael Penix Jr. showed a ton of promise late in the season and the offense has all the ingredients to be one of the NFL’s top units in 2025.
Unfortunately, the Falcons defense is still a work in progress. The team has a cap deficit of over $10 million. Unless Atlanta makes drastic changes in the coming weeks, the draft will be the team’s only realistic option for adding defensive talent.
The Falcons hold the 15th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and at this point, it would come as a shock if they were to take another offensive player in Round 1. Most draft analysts project the team to select an edge rusher or defensive back — easily Atlanta’s two biggest needs — at pick No. 15.
Pro Football Network released a new seven-round mock draft which has the Falcons focusing exclusively on defense. In the first round, the team lands East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr.:
Shavon Revel Jr. offers a huge upside opposite A.J. Terrell as a starting cornerback and could have been a top-10 pick if he stayed healthy throughout 2024. Revel has impressive athleticism, physicality, and length for the position, but the medicals will be key to whether he is viewed as a first-round pick. Selecting Revel will be a gamble for whoever takes him, but the upside is too much to pass up until we find out more about whether there is a long-term issue for him to overcome. — Ben Rolfe, Pro Football Network
Revel has the size to play on the outside and effectively press opposing wideouts at the line of scrimmage. He recorded two interceptions in the three games he appeared in last season. The lengthy defensive back could help replace Mike Hughes if the team fails to re-sign him in free agency.
The Falcons land their edge rusher in the second round of PFN’s mock draft, taking Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer:
There are question marks over whether Sawyer is a difference-maker as a pass rusher, but he is a complete player with a lot of experience. He had nine sacks in 16 games in 2024 and 23 sacks in 54 games over his career at Ohio State. Atlanta may still look to add some “pass rush first” outside rushers to generate pressure without sending extra defenders, but this is a solid base for them to build their pass rush around. — PFN
As for the rest of Atlanta’s projected draft picks, the team adds Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins in Round 4, Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler in Round 6 and Ohio State defensive lineman Ty Hamilton in Round 7.
Click HERE to read Pro Football Network’s full seven-round mock draft.