By: Colin Lacy

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

First year for the new regime for the Atlanta Falcons hit the first landmark with the NFL Draft this past weekend.

Ian Cunningham as the GM spearheaded his first draft week in line with new Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and Director of Football Matt Ryan and made an impact especially on the defensive side of the ball.

After the deal last season to trade up and pick Michael Penix Jr, the Falcons didn’t have a first-round pick in 2026, so the Birds didn’t make a selection until the 48th overall pick in the 2nd round.

The Falcons went to the ACC for their first selection with a cornerback from Clemson and kept the football in the family. Avieon Terrell, younger brother of current Falcons DB AJ Terrell, became the newest Falcon after 3 years with Clemson, including an All-ACC season last year for the Tigers.

In 2025, Terrell had a nose for football forcing a Clemson single season record 5 forced fumbles to go along with 9 pass breakups, 4.5 TFLs and 3 sacks. There are questions where Terrell will land if he stays at corner or comes inside at safety but could be an impactful piece for the Falcons in the fall.

In the 3rd round, Atlanta kept it close to home with pulling Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch off the board.

Branch molded into a slot receiver who can turn a medial gain into an explosive play with his speed in his time in Athens. Branch brings a multitude of weapons to the NFL both as a receiver but also on special teams as a kick/punt returner. There is some fine tuning of routes and mechanics that NFL scouts have pointed out, but Branch expects to contribute early for the Falcons.

The page turned to the 4th round and the Falcons had pick number 134. With that 4th round selection, Atlanta turned to Oklahoma to snag former Sooner linebacker Kendal Daniels.

Daniels converted from safety to linebacker in his time at Oklahoma and earned a reputation in the SEC as being able to use his speed to fill the gap in run defense. After 4 seasons at Oklahoma State, Daniels moved to Norman and racked up 9 TFLs in 13 starts in the middle of the Sooner defense.

Without a selection in the 5th round, the Falcons made a move to pick up an extra 6th round selection.

With the first 6th round pick, the Falcons looked to beef up the defensive line that made a huge step forward in 2025 and added Washington D-Lineman Anterio Thompson.

Thompson spent his time at Washington as a defensive tackle on the interior of the D-line, but may see a move to the edge in the NFL. The leaps that Thompson has made in his time in college profiles him to be able to do it.

What, in my opinion, could be most impactful pick for the Falcons in 2026 when it’s all said and done came with the second 6th round pick when the ATL called upon the LSU Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. Perkins missed all of 2024 with an ACL tear but was the key to the LSU success in his time in Baton Rouge.

The Falcons wrapped up the draft with their 7th round pick and the 231st overall selection of O-lineman Ethan Onianwa from Ohio State. The 6’6” 333 pounder tackle looks to give depth to the Falcons O-Line and progress under leadership and experience of Jake Matthews on the Falcons’ front.

While there’s not the first round, high profile talent in the draft class, but an extremely solid class that could prove to be impactful in the near future as a whole for the ATL.