The Atlanta Falcons have had an offseason of change, to say the least. On the football field and in the offices, they are undergoing a change in leadership with a new president, "assistant" general manager, coaching staff, and sort of a new quarterback.
This doesn't even include the off-the-field matter involving James Pearce Jr, who is facing felony charges from an incident occurring in February.
On the football side of things, this new regime has just five selections in the 2026 NFL Draft to try to improve the roster. Luckily for them, the draft has a few sweet spots around their slated picks to address the biggest needs.
Round 1 Pick 13 Overall: Traded for James Pearce Jr.
The Atlanta Falcons traded this pick during last year's draft for edge rusher James Pearce Jr.
Round 2 Pick 48 Overall: R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
Last season, the Falcons made a huge defensive turnaround, finishing 12th in Defensive DVOA, their first time out of the bottom-10 in the statistic since 2019. This was accomplished by improving the speed of the pass rush. Atlanta finished second in the NFL in sacks, time to pressure, get off, and blitz rate.
With Pearce's future uncertain, as well as the departures of Kaden Ellis and Leonard Floyd, Atlanta needs to try to keep its strength from declining.
Enter edge rusher R Mason Thomas.
Mason Thomas is a light but quick edge rusher from the University of Oklahoma. He's undersized at 6'2, 241 pounds, but he uses that size to his advantage with leverage and darting past bigger linemen. He can attack in the run game with his speed and instincts as he reads a play and moves through the trash to get to the ball carrier.
Mason Thomas is a versatile player who can set the edge and drop back in the flat, but it's the speed that drew me to him for the Falcons. His overall frame holds him down on my own personal board, and will for GMs around the league, but he's a perfect fit for what the Falcons and Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich want to do.
Round 3 Pick 79 Overall: Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
The Falcons have had some inconsistencies at the second wide receiver spot over the years. With Darnell Mooney having one good year with the Falcons in 2024, and the Arthur Smith regime the three years prior, Atlanta hasn't had consistent production from multiple receivers since Dan Quinn was the coach, and Russell Gage was doing his thing.
Now, Mooney is gone, and there's a huge hole on the roster out wide. But fortunately, this is a deep wide receiver class, and I ended up with Zachariah Branch staying in the state of Georgia to play with the Falcons
With big, downfield targets Drake London and Kyle Pitts already in the fold, the Falcons can afford to bring in a small receiver in Branch to complement them. And the combination of Branch and Bijan Robinson with their agility and quickness could really open things up on offense for some creativity.
Here's what The Ringer's Todd McShay had to say about Branch:
"One of the smallest players in this class, Branch has electrifying athletic traits and the toughness to match. For starters, He's not a gimmick player - he thrived in a pro-style role at USC. Branch will need to be schemed off the line of scrimmage at times and will never be great on contested catches downfield. But he uncovers in a flash. There's a lot of savvy in his work versus zone coverage - his speed breaks create instant separation, and he shows no fear attacking the ball in traffic."
The depth of the wide receiver class, plus Branch's outlier size profile, led to him being available at 79 overall for me. But, like Mason Thomas in the second round, his speed and burst make him the ideal fit for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2026 NFL Draft.