Which positions will Falcons focus on in 2026 NFL draft?
Weeks before the Falcons’ roster took its present shape — they’ve signed 18 free agents, re-signed several others and added safety Sydney Brown via a trade with the Eagles — the team’s first-year brass took solace in a group that has plenty of pieces in place.
At the NFL scouting combine, coach Kevin Stefanski said he felt strongly about the players poised to dictate his first season at the helm. General manager Ian Cunningham struck a similar chord and wanted to keep building depth on a roster with several holes to fill.
Now, as the Falcons gear up for the second wave of free agent acquisitions and finalize their board before the NFL draft begins April 23 in Pittsburgh, their roster has 71 players. The core of Stefanski and Cunningham’s first team has been established, the roots planted, the vision solidified.
The Falcons will enter the draft still searching for reinforcements. They have question marks at several positions, be it role-specific or depth-related. They don’t, however, have an abundance of picks to work with. They have five: Nos. 48, 79, 122, 215 and 231.
Here’s a look at the team’s biggest areas to address with the start of its offseason program looming April 6.
Interior defensive line
The Falcons had the league’s ninth-worst run defense in 2025, allowing 126.2 rushing yards per game. They return a solid nucleus of young talent in third-year pros Brandon Dorlus and Ruke Orhorhoro to go along with Zach Harrison, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Free agency delivered reinforcements.
The Falcons signed Da’Shawn Hand, a 77-game veteran who started all of his 13 appearances last season with the Chargers, and Chris Williams, who’s been around Stefanski and Cunningham at prior stops. The team also re-signed LaCale London after a breakthrough 2025 campaign in which he had five sacks and seven tackles for loss.
But those three are on one-year contracts. Orhorhoro and Dorlus are the lone key cogs in the defensive tackle rotation signed beyond 2026. The Falcons have an adequate blend of young talent and proven veterans, but they need long-term solutions on the interior.
Cunningham has emphasized he doesn’t want the team’s roster to be in a similar situation next offseason as it was this spring: bare in too many places entering free agency. The Falcons can get in front of their looming issue at defensive tackle with additional investment in the draft.
Wide receiver
Drake London is back, Darnell Mooney is gone and a pair of seasoned pass-catchers — Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson — are in.
The Falcons’ receiving corps has undergone a considerable face-lift the past several months, and they should have no shortage of competition to fill out their depth chart this summer. Beyond the top three in London, Zaccheaus and Dotson is a group eager to prove themselves with Casey Washington, Chris Blair, Deven Thompkins and Dylan Drummond.
Cunningham views receiver as a premium position. The Falcons need to find a complementary piece for London, akin to Mooney in 2024, who is a long-term running mate for their top wideout.
The draft is deep with receivers, which plays into the Falcons’ favor, and they might capitalize on Day 2.
Offensive line
Starting right tackle Kaleb McGary missed all of last season due to a knee injury, and while he’s expected to return in time for Week 1, the Falcons might try to add youth and competition behind him. The organization’s prior regime adopted that approach last year, drafting Wisconsin tackle Jack Nelson in the seventh round, and he appeared in 10 games as a rookie in a special teams-heavy role.
Nelson aside, the Falcons will rely on swing tackle Storm Norton, who’s entering the final year of his contract, for depth behind McGary and staple left tackle Jake Matthews. Matthews and McGary appear poised to bookend the team’s offensive line, but tackle is a premium position and a spot for Cunningham to consider long-term reinforcements.
The Falcons, with an eye toward 2027, have questions along their interior offensive line, too. Starting center Ryan Neuzil’s contract expires after 2026, as does free agent signee Corey Levin, who’s expected to be Neuzil’s backup this fall. Matthew Bergeron, who has started at left guard the past three seasons, is entering the last year of his rookie contract and is set to hit unrestricted free agency next spring.
Perhaps the Falcons wait and reassess their situation after 2026, but if the opportunity presents itself to find a solution in the draft, Cunningham won’t be faulted for pouncing.
Cornerback
The Falcons have the top of their cornerback depth chart solidified for the foreseeable future. A.J. Terrell is under contract through 2028, while his counterpart, Mike Hughes, is inked through 2027. However, the team lost nickel corner Dee Alford in free agency, and Billy Bowman Jr.’s recovery timeline from a torn Achilles suffered last November remains uncertain.
Depth exists. The Falcons’ cornerback room includes Clark Phillips III, Cobee Bryant, C.J. Henderson, Natrone Brooks, A.J. Woods and free agent signee Darnay Holmes.
How that picture clears up this summer ultimately will reveal the quality of pieces the Falcons have beyond Terrell and Hughes, but adding another young, talented player does no harm.
