The Falcoholic
What’s the only thing better than four straight offensive players selected in the first round...?
Welcome to the off-season for the 2025 Atlanta Falcons, ladies and gentlemen. Nobody has a true bead on what the Falcons are going to do with the 15th pick in April’s draft, but there’s been a consensus that it should be on the defensive side of the ball.
Don’t tell that to Sharp Football’s Ryan McCrystal, though. In McCrystal’s first mock draft of the 2025 offseason, the analyst had the Falcons select dynamic wide receiver from the University of Missouri, Luther Burden III.
Atlanta has already invested heavily in the offensive skill positions, but the group has never been the sum of its parts. Adding another weapon who can stretch the field would help Michael Penix‘s development. Atlanta might prefer Luther Burden III to Tetairoa McMillan, as McMillan’s skillset could be considered too much of an overlap with Drake London. Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka is an option as well.
Now, on a very surface level, there are reasons that someone could see a wide receiver taken for the Falcons at some point in this draft. Atlanta has a new quarterback to build around and, as shown by the Philadelphia Eagles’ recent Super Bowl run, surrounding that quarterback with as much firepower as possible leads to impressive results.
There’s only one problem with that thinking: The Falcons defense was putrid last season.
The 2025 draft is littered with potential difference-makers on the defensive side of the ball, in fact, even in this mock draft, the very next pick for the Arizona Cardinals was Georgia EDGE rusher Mykel Williams.
Even when discussing the “Key Stats & Notes” heading into the draft for Atlanta, McCrystal outlined some truly concerning defensive struggles that Burden simply wouldn’t help fix, despite his amazing ability with the ball in his hands.
Darnell Mooney accounted for 39% of the team’s receptions of 20 or more yards, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL.
Forced opponents into third and long (seven or more yards) on 19.5% of sets of downs, ranked 27th.
Generated pressure in 2.5 seconds or less on 18.5% of opponent dropbacks, ranked 29th.
Converted 18.7% of pressures into sacks, ranked 28th.
Allowed 51.4% completion rate on throws 10 or more yards downfield, ranked 27th.
A.J. Terrell allowed a 56.5% completion rate when targeted 10 or more yards downfield, the fifth-highest rate among qualified outside cornerbacks.
This is a bizarre pick that would border on malpractice for General Manager Terry Fontenot, one that plenty of Falcons fans joke about but don’t seriously expect. To forgo the defense in this draft, despite the clear need for a cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell, despite the need for athleticism at the second level. despite the years of fans yearning for a consistent pass-rusher.
It would be a slap in the face to Falcons fans who are hoping, praying, that maybe one day they can field...
