The Falcoholic
These guys don’t fit the front office’s past history, but they could big-time difference makers for the team.
Everyone’s got a type.
Terry Fontenot likes them long, old, and with measurements in the top percentile of all previously recorded athletes in the database. Some (all of you) might point out that these preferences haven’t yielded great results, and unfortunately, that is an accurate statement.
So, what prospects in 2025 break the current mold and lead to unexplored pastures? Let’s ignore the process vs. results debate for the next 5 minutes and look at 2025 draft prospects that would cause Fontenot and Co. to get out of their comfort zone.
Program Note: Georgia players will not be mentioned in this article as the Falcons have taken a Bulldog in 2/4 drafts (3 players total) during Fontenot’s career. Did you know that the Falcons have drafted more players from the University of Georgia than any other school during the Fontenot era? (Tell your UGA friends).
Walker is the antithesis of a typical Terry Fontenot EDGE defender. He doesn’t boast 34” arms, he’s barely 6’1”, and he doesn’t come from a P4 program. None of those things should stop Atlanta from wanting to add this player to their EDGE room.
All David Walker has done during his career is kick the teeth in of the guy trying to stand in his way. Walker finished in the top 20 of PFF EDGE grading in all three years at UCA–finishing as the highest-graded EDGE player in all of CFB in 2024.
In those three years, Walker amassed 37 sacks, 17 QB hits, and 97 hurries with a ridiculous 21% pass-rush win rate and 9.2% run-stop rate. Walker is a prospect who falls into that classic “how did the entire league miss on this guy” category due to his unconventional size and small school grading curve.
However, he showed that his physical gifts and abilities still matched up with his competition in the Senior Bowl. The Falcons need proven commodities, and with Walker, you know exactly what you’re getting.
On the surface, Emmowanri appears to be a prospect that Fontenot would covet, yet he would be a physical anomaly in the Atlanta secondary. Emmanwori possesses the physical traits that Fontenot is always after in the front seven, but rarely applies to the secondary. If current listings (6’3”-227lbs) remain mostly accurate, Emmanwori would be the team’s most physically gifted safety by a landslide.
Even better, the player can move at that size, which offers the Falcons true personnel flexibility with his slot coverage and run defense ability. The Falcons’ will they won’t they, relationship with three safety looks could finally come to an end.
Emmanwori would also inject some much-needed youth into the room. He’s a true junior with only three years under his belt, a stark contrast to Richie Grant’s resume (which included a stint at Radio Shack), who Fontenot’s...
