The Falcoholic
The interior of both lines tops our list.
The Atlanta Falcons took care of some glaring needs in the 2025 NFL Draft. They brought in two high-upside edge rushers, a likely starting safety, and a player who is expected to compete for a starting role at the nickel; they also nabbed a potential long-term swing tackle. We have to expect some growing pains for rookies, but on paper this team is a lot stronger on defense than they were heading into the week.
While the entire team can still use talent at more or less every position, there are a handful of needs that stand above the rest. I’ve broken down the three biggest needs in my book, plus a handful of other outstanding items.
Ryan Neuzil is a converted guard with 12 career starts, including eight last year in relief of an injured Drew Dalman. He did a fine job of replacing Dalman, but isn’t in the former Falcon’s league as a run blocker and is more solid than great in pass protection. The fact that he’s in this position is a testament to Neuzil and the Falcons for developing him, but it’s also a little scary to be relying on him as the unquestioned starter in a critical season. It’s an odd position to be in as an avowed Neuzil booster, but I never thought the Falcons would be rolling with him with no competition.
The Falcons will be expecting further growth from Neuzil and have a couple of options to back him up, including former late pick Jovaughn Gwyn and Matthew Cindric, who had plenty of starting center experience in college. Gwyn is a player the Falcons obviously like—they have kept him around despite the fact that he hasn’t even sniffed any real playing time—so perhaps he and Neuzil’s development ends up being the story of the summer for the Falcons. I’d still feel much better with more proven depth to give Neuzil a solid push.
This was Tre’Shon Diaz’s pick, and with good reason. Besides David Onyemata, who is coming off a bit of a down year, the Falcons have virtually no players with proven high-end play in the NFL. Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus are promising but haven’t played much, Zach Harrison doesn’t have a settled role on this line, Morgan Fox is more of a pass rushing option than a space plugger or run stopper, and Ta’Quon Graham and Kentavius Street are more useful reserves than potential starters. Undrafted free agent Simeon Barrow may actually have a path to a role; it feels like the Falcons were looking at Zion Logue as a potential option here for 2025 before the Bills poached him.
The only in-house candidate for nose tackle that makes sense today is LaCale London, who Diaz and others noted is now listed at 330 pounds on the Falcons’ website. If that’s truly the case, London may have bulked up to handle the duties, and...
