• James Pierce Jr. boosts first-round pass: Generating pressure hasn’t been easy for Atlanta, and the Tennessee star does it better than most.
• Internal assistance in the 2nd round: Cincinnati’s Corleone has consistently impressed at the college level.
• Draft and trade for yourself: Try PFF Draft Simulator – Trade picks and players and parody your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Atlanta Falcons are currently leaders in the NFC South, but will have to fight to contain Tampa Bay Buccaneers down the distance as they look to win the division.
Raheem Morris’ first season as head coach of the Falcons has been a success so far, and a defensive-heavy draft in 2025 could allow them to pursue the quarterback more – something they struggled with in 2024.
Here’s what we’d look like in the Falcons draft under current circumstances.
Round 1 (20): EDGE James Pierce Jr., Tennessee
Pierce was once the No. 1 overall draft pick, but his star has fallen slightly as the season has progressed. However, he will likely hear his name called on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft. During his college career, he has 103 total pressures, including 35 combined sacks and quarterback hits, in 484 pass attempts.
Round 2 (52): Inspector Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati
His best performance at Cincinnati was in 2022, when he earned an overall PFF grade of 93.8, but he has been an excellent pass rusher throughout his college career. He has been even better against the run, posting a PFF defensive grade above 80.0 in all three seasons of his career.
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