FOR SUNDAY MORNING
ATHENS - Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham made the brief trip to Athens on Saturday, and he saw plenty of positives from the Bulldogs.
Georgia walloped Missouri, 48-21, putting it on the brink of another SEC Championship Game appearance. And it had plenty of individual standouts for Cunningham to envision in a Falcons uniform.
Linebackers Chris Cole and Raylen Wilson certainly must’ve caught his eye. The former is a potential top-10 selection, while the latter intercepted Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons’ first pass and returned it to the 7-yard line (his first career pick).
Georgia has plenty of talent at positions of need for the Falcons. Cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and safety KJ Bolden could be first-rounders. Offensive lineman Earnest Greene III has a mean streak Cunningham would appreciate. Running back Nate Frazier and tight end Lawson Luckie could end up day-2 picks. Other draftees include safety Khalil Barnes, quarterback Gunner Stockton, center Drew Bobo (who was out Saturday), and others.
The Falcons’ new regime spoke highly of Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs program last spring. They drafted receiver Zachariah Branch in the second round, the second straight year the Falcons had invested a premium pick in a Georgia player (Jalon Walker, first round 2025) after years of passing on local talent.
Cunningham has a scouting background, so it’s no surprise he’s been seen at numerous collegiate games this season. He attended Georgia Tech’s opener against Colorado and joined president of football Matt Ryan for Oregon-Oklahoma State, which featured high-end quarterback prospects Dante Moore and Drew Mestemaker.
Cunningham has preached the importance of building through the draft, and he acquired multiple picks at the trade deadline (including a second-rounder for 29-year-old safety Jessie Bates). Perhaps one of those selections will be invested in a Bulldog once again.
Meanwhile, Simmons is expected to remain in school for another season, but he’s nevertheless one of the premier quarterback prospects right now. Georgia made him look pedestrian; he went 17-for-25 for 175 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. The box score reads much better than the performance. He went 6-for-6 for 64 yards (with a dropped interception) in the fourth quarter with Georgia taking its foot off the gas.
One game doesn’t make a prospect, but Cunningham – who could be seeking a quarterback in the next two springs – couldn’t have left impressed. This was a relevant data point for Simmons moving forward, even considering the collapsing foundation around him.
He became the latest star quarterback that Georgia has tormented. They’ll get a chance to hurt the draft stock of South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers next weekend in Columbia. Sellers has elite traits and he’s played extremely well for several weeks now.
The Falcons will be watching, maybe finding another future core piece or two on their next contending team.