New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham’s first two picks have more than local vibes

The new Falcons general manager’s first pick, the 16th of the second round, was Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell and a Westlake High grad.

Ian Cunningham’s second pick on Friday night, the third round’s 15th selection — Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch.

Picks with local ties that fire up the fans — is that the strategy?

Because we’ve got suggestions.

Round 4: Haynes King.

Round 6: Michael Harris II (Bonus: he’s from Stockbridge!).

Round 7: Waffle House All-Star Special.

Done and done.

Without a pick for the first round, the rookie GM (who himself has local ties, having lived part of his childhood in Roswell) had his first day as draft shot-caller Friday night.

“I feel like it went smooth,” he said. “It was really good communication throughout the day. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was a good day, it was fun.”

While Terrell and Branch do make for feel-good stories, what’s even better is that they both make sense for the Falcons and look like promising additions.

Terrell was pegged as a possible first-round pick — Pro Football Focus rated him the No. 23 pick — but the Falcons were able to nab him at pick No. 48.

In fact, Cunningham said, when he led the draft team through a strategy meeting Friday morning, new president of football Matt Ryan asked a crystalizing question: Which prospects did Cunningham prize so much that, if another team made a trade offer for the Falcons’ No. 48 pick, he would turn it down if they were available?

“And Avieon was our No. 1 guy,” Cunningham said. “We didn’t think that he would be there. So we were excited when he was there and we were able to pull the trigger.”

As for the new Terrell being the little brother of one of the team’s pillars — while AJ and Avieon could barely stand their good fortune, Cunningham and coach Kevin Stefanski played it down as merely a really fun bonus.

“I think, obviously, it’s very unique,” Stefanski said. “This is very cool. But we’re also excited about Avieon’s role and growing into the best version of himself.”

Likewise, the scorching Branch was not necessarily expected to be available at the Falcons’ turn in the third round.

“Just a player that you can really line up all over the field,” Stefanski said. “You go back and watch his tape over the course of his different stops and the way he was utilized — I think there’s a ton of versatility there.”

But it doesn’t hurt that he’s a Bulldog.

“What they’ve done and what they continue to do at Georgia, they’re always going to have really good football players,” Cunningham said. “And it’s cool that it’s right in our backyard.”

Moreover, while Cunningham has espoused a “best player available” strategy for the draft, Terrell and Branch both fill needs for Stefanski’s roster.

Among cornerbacks on last year’s roster, the Falcons lost Dee Alford to free agency and probably want to upgrade from Mike Hughes. Further, 2025 draftee Billy Bowman Jr. is coming back from a season-ending Achilles injury. Terrell could come in and contribute immediately.

At wide receiver, Branch’s speed (4.35 seconds in the 40) will fill a need for a deep threat. Along with the smarts and dedication that wowed Georgia coach Kirby Smart, it’s not hard to envision him contributing quickly, either.

“He loves this game and he loves to be out there working in practice,” Stefanski said of Branch. “Coaches appreciate those types of guys that bring it every single day, that bring the juice every single day.”

For the record, there was no design to going heavy on locals.

“We’re happy to get two really good players at positions that can come in here and help us in the locker room, on the field and in the community,” Cunningham said.

There was no shocking drafting of a player at a position where the team had just signed a marquee free agent or a move to trade up that cost the team, say, a first-round pick for the following year.

(To that end, asked about the newest development in the case of edge rusher James Pearce Jr. — the potential for all charges against him to be dropped upon completion of a six-month diversion program, Cunningham deferred, saying that “we’re just talking about the players we drafted tonight.”)

When the moment arrived for Cunningham to officially authorize his first pick, it was not quite a pinch-me moment for him. Perhaps it would be a moment to ponder later.

“But in the moment, I just didn’t want to mess up,” he said.

Mission accomplished.