The Falcoholic
In what was viewed by most fans and experts as a largely successful draft for the Atlanta Falcons, three of the team’s draftees are being ranked as the best among all 257 picks. Let’s take a look at which players gained this honor.
While the dust continues to settle on an eventful NFL draft weekend, experts have been using the past week to analyze the best picks out of all 257 selections. Obviously ranking the best out of a draft class of insanely talented players is subjective, especially because they haven’t played a down of NFL football yet. Still, receiving post-draft high praise from experts is nothing to sniff at, especially after the Atlanta Falcons have been one of the most highly criticized teams in recent years after the draft.
The list we’ll be taking a look at today is ESPN analyst Matt Miller’s Top 100 draft picks from all three days of the draft, and Atlanta had three of their five selections that cracked this list. What I like about Miller’s list is that he didn’t rank these picks based solely on talent, but mainly factored in value, scheme fit, how well the pick addressed a need, what the player brings to the field, and whether any additional assets were gained or lost in draft-day trades to acquire him.
These many components resulted in a highly detailed analysis of the ways the picks mentioned can benefit the team short and long term. So... what Atlanta newbies cracked Miller’s top 100?
Miller’s excerpt: Walker was a top-five player on my board, and Atlanta ended his draft-night slide midway through the first round. Not only did the Falcons get great value, but they also got a player who fits perfectly for Atlanta’s scheme and need. Walker’s NFL position has yet to be determined (he played both linebacker and edge at Georgia in 2024), but he brings desperately needed speed and high upside as a pass rusher in a 3-4 alignment.
Honestly, couldn’t have said it better myself. Walker is a highly versatile player as Miller mentioned, playing both linebacker and edge at the University of Georgia this past season, having success at both positions. It only took Philadelphia winning a Super Bowl with all the Georgia talent they acquired for Atlanta to catch on.
Walker’s speed and size take me back to the days of John Abraham with his ability to stretch offensive lineman and squeeze past them for easy pressures and sacks. His different alignments on defense allowed him to keep the offense guessing which contributed to him running free a ton of times in 2024. This pick came in high on Miller’s list at #5, ranking above noteworthy selections of Travis Hunter (#6), Abdul Carter (#8), and Will Campbell (#17) just to name a few.
Miller’s excerpt: Getting a 54-pick value is always good, but pairing Watts with [Jessie...
