Fansided

The suffering has to stop at some point, right? It has been a long and painfully frustrating seven years since the Atlanta Falcons last made the playoffs. Not since the 2017 campaign has this team posted a winning record. After three straight years of 7-10 Arthur Smith nonsense, Raheem Morris did one win better at 8-9, despite Atlanta having its most talented roster in years. Yet again, coaching matters. Morris may be under fire, but not to the degree of general manager Terry Fontenot, and absolutely not to the degree of defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. Atlanta had the talent to win at least 10 games and did not get it done for something I can only describe as Falcons reasons. The team seems to be well-constructed, at least offensively, but we have seen the last of Kirk Cousins playing for this team. So what I want to do today is turn our collective attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. Atlanta will have the No. 15 pick but needs to nail its first several picks to make sure the playoffs will be a thing for the Falcons next year. They have no choice but to improve the defense. I would also argue that they could use another weapon on offense, just in case injuries were to wreak havoc on this team next season. Let's start with a local product, one who made an immediate impact in college football's best league.