Georgia takes note of increased Atlanta Falcons presence at pro day

ATHENS — At the Payne Indoor Facility on Wednesday, the Atlanta Falcons personnel on hand dwarfed that of any other team.

All 32 NFL teams were present, with a number of key decision-makers on hand. John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers and Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers were two of the NFL general managers present.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy and Dallas Cowboys assistant Chidera Uzo-Diribe, hired off of Kirby Smart’s 2025 coaching staff, were also on hand to watch the various NFL draft prospects go through drills.

But it was impossible to ignore the presence of the home state team in Athens.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was present, as he chatted with Smart. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was stalking the sidelines as players worked out. Atlanta offensive line coach Bill Callahan ran Micah Morris and Monroe Freeling through drills. General manager Ian Cunningham spoke with tight ends coach Todd Hartley, while it was impossible to ignore the Falcons’ president of football Matt Ryan.

“Seeing Matt Ryan out here today was just like, you know, shocking,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “Like, don’t matter how old I get, I can always have that little kid in me where, you know, you see him, and you’re like, ‘Man, that’s crazy.’ So I was kind of fanned out a little bit seeing him. I wanted to go up and talk to him, didn’t really get the chance to.”

The Falcons overhauled their organization this offseason, as Ryan, Cunningham and Stefanski are all new in their roles. Ulbrich was with the team last year when they took Jalon Walker in the first round of the NFL draft. Walker became the first Georgia player taken by the Falcons in the first round.

Much had been previously made of Atlanta’s aversion to picking players from Georgia. The franchise ranks 19th among teams that have drafted players from Georgia.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling (left) and Georgia offensive lineman Micah Morris (right) run a drill during Georgia's NFL Pro Day at Payne Indoor Athletic Facility, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

That has become an issue for some, especially as Athens has become an NFL factory. No program has produced more NFL draft picks over the past five NFL drafts than Georgia, with 48 players taken. The Bulldogs sent 10 players to this year’s NFL combine and could well again have double-digit draft picks.

Smart got plenty of time to chat with Stefanski and Ryan on Wednesday. When the Georgia coach spoke to reporters, his pitch was clear.

“I’ve known them for a long time,” Smart said. “They’ve welcomed us to their organization and said, you know, practices are open. You guys can come watch our place. They’ve got a lot of personnel here today. I think they know what this university has to offer and the fact they can get some players from here helps their organization.”

The Falcons will have to wait to make their first selection in this year’s draft. Their first pick is at No. 48 overall, after Atlanta traded away its first-rounder to take James Pearce Jr. of Tennessee in last year’s draft.

Atlanta has only five picks this year and will have to make the most of their selections. Defensive tackle Christen Miller has been recently tabbed as someone who could land with Atlanta.

He made it clear how he felt about possibly playing for the hometown team.

“Man, it’d be a blessing,” Miller said. “I think the city would go crazy. Man, if I was to come to Atlanta, it’d be a show every weekend. I know everybody popping up, everybody, everybody. And it’s just, I want championships. I won at Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood. I won a championship here. And to bring a championship to the city, that’d be so special. I think my grandma would fall out. She’d lose her mind.”