The needs are evident for Atlanta, but can we expect them to have a laser focus on those needs?
Everyone in the Atlanta Falcons organization is saying it. Terry Fontenot has mentioned how “loaded” this defensive draft class is, Raheem Morris has mentioned the need to upgrade the pass rush in particular, and Arthur Blank said Tuesday that the Falcons draft will “be focused” on defense.
The needs on defense are acute and varied, from greater depth along the defensive line to better edge rushers to improvements in the secondary, so that approach would make a ton of sense. With limited draft capital, too, the Falcons have to be a little stingy about making picks on offense that they might be tempted to chase in other years with more selections. Clearly, the Falcons will prioritize defense in the draft.
But will they primarily focus on the defense, or will they once again prioritize a big offensive upgrade early before stacking help on the needier side of the ball? This is an open question because infamously, the Falcons have now invested four straight first round picks on offense, so we can’t take it for granted that pick #15 (or wherever they end up after a trade down) will go to the neediest side of the ball. Fresh rumors that link them to tackles aren’t helping anyone’s nerves in that regard.
A quick look back won’t do much to settle those nerves, but let’s take a moment to do so regardless.
In 2024, five of the team’s eight picks were spent on defense; only their first round pick was spent on offense at a (truly) premium position. That was a slightly different trend line than the Arthur Smith era, where the team went 12/23 on offense for their draft picks, including 6/11 in the draft’s first two days. I don’t need to tell you that these are not hugely significant splits, and last year’s draft was a bit of a unique case with the team falling in love with Penix.
Still, I think the talk about the defense being a priority is more than just humoring a disgruntled fanbase before the Falcons do something crazy and/or stupid. It’s logical to think that a defensive-minded head coach with a fairly established offense might want to prioritize defensive drafting, and the fact that the team now believes they have their quarterback should only strengthen that desire. The team’s needs line up with the strengths of this class, the owner is pushing hard for the Falcons to focus on that side of the ball, and the relative lack of splash moves in free agency and the addition of a new defensive coordinator all speak to the priority being on D. It’s a sensible focus, and whether the Falcons retain their meager number of picks or trade down, sinking most of that capital into the defense feels not just logical but somewhat inevitable.
We also have to remember that it makes sense from a looking-out-for-your-own-neck perspective, it makes sense. Terry Fontenot does not seem particularly likely to survive another losing season, and getting the boot because your defense let down the exciting young quarterback you drafted would be a difficult way to lose your job. Raheem Morris probably has another year minus a complete meltdown, but as a defensive-minded head coach who gave a coordinator/friend the boot because of poor outcomes in 2024, a second straight year of lackluster play on that side of the ball would at minimum increase the heat on him. The Falcons’ brass has every reason to prove they can add to and improve this defense, in other words.
This doesn’t mean every pick is going to go to the defense, but after years of prioritizing offense in the first round and missing the mark on too many defensive selections, this feels like the year the tides change. Whether that leads to better outcomes in 2025 is the major question mark we’re all wringing our hands about, but I would be stunned if the team’s early selections did not go to the defense and the offensive line.