Falcons select Oklahoma linebacker Kendal Daniels in fourth round
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons traded down and added to their defense to open Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
After landing a sixth-round pick to move down 12 spots in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Falcons selected Oklahoma linebacker Kendal Daniels at No. 134 overall in the fourth round Saturday afternoon. Daniels joins Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell and Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch in the team’s draft class, with three picks still remaining on Day 3.
The 6-foot-5, 242-pound Daniels spent the first four years of his career at Oklahoma State before transferring to Oklahoma for his final college campaign. Across 54 games, he recorded 293 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and five interceptions.
A consensus four-star safety recruit, Daniels redshirted his first year in Stillwater, Oklahoma before breaking onto the scene in 2022. Daniels won Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, collecting 71 tackles and three interceptions across 13 games.
Daniels earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors in 2023 after making 105 tackles, two interceptions and a pair of sacks while starting all 14 games played. Oklahoma State moved Daniels from safety to linebacker in 2024. He made 64 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, to go along with 5.5 sacks in 12 games.
Daniels transferred to Oklahoma for the 2025 season, and he started all 13 games at the Sooners’ cheetah position, a hybrid role between linebacker and safety. He notched 53 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three pass breakups at Oklahoma.
The Falcons announced Daniels as a linebacker. They have six off-ball linebackers on their roster, headlined by Divine Deablo, J.D. Bertrand and free agent signees Christian Harris and Channing Tindall.
The team has three picks remaining — two in the sixth round at No. 208 and 215, and one in the seventh at No. 231.
