The Falcons emerged from this past weekend's NFL Draft secure in second behind the Patriots in NFL.com's post-draft power rankings. It's right where they ended last season, and the draft seems to have done nothing to dampen the momentum at Flowery Branch.

NFL.com media analyst Elliot Harrison wrote, “Let's quit viewing the Falcons' 2016 campaign negatively just because of the bum ending. Those guys balled out, and this team hasn't gotten any worse.”

There weren't a ton of big splashes for the Falcons in this draft, but they continued their focus on getting DQ guys. And they traded up to get Takkarist McKinley, who's already been welcomed into The Brotherhood by Matt Ryan.

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Kennesaw State guard Simeon Cottle shoots a technical foul shot during the second half of a game against South Florida Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Kennesaw State University. (Daniel Varnado/For the AJC))

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

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