{"id":865646,"date":"2026-04-13T18:06:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865646\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:06:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:06:41","slug":"falcons-2026-nfl-mock-draft-roundup-with-pre-draft-cycle-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865646\/","title":{"rendered":"Falcons\u2019 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup with pre-draft cycle ending"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Atlanta Falcons may need to get creative<\/a> since they don\u2019t have a first-round pick. But overall, this draft is crucial for the organization<\/a>. And here is the Falcons\u2019 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup with the pre-draft cycle ending.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t a lot of picks on the board for the Falcons. Their first one comes at No. 48 overall. And they only have four after that with no fifth-round pick. It\u2019s a tough situation for a team that seems to be on the cusp of true playoff contention.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see how the draft gurus are looking at the situation.<\/p>\n

DT Christen Miller, Georgia<\/p>\n

Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n

Miller brings a lot to the table. He could develop into an above-average starter<\/a>, according to NFL.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiller is an even-front nose tackle who can rattle pads and gain early advantages at the point of attack,\u201d Lance Zierlein wrote. \u201cHe has good stack-and-shed against single blocks but lacks the prototypical mass of a space-eater. He will lose his anchor to double teams and strong-angle blocks at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s average at matching lateral movement off the snap but is generally aware of play design and hustles across gaps to squeeze run lanes. He\u2019ll continue to bulk up and should become a good starter who is more consistent than dominant along the interior.\u201d<\/p>\n

EDGE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Bruce Feldman, The Athletic<\/a>; Gordon McGuiness, Pro Football Focus<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t supposed to be this way. But this is still a potential position of need for the Falcons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe off-field issues with James Pearce Jr. make edge a big need for Atlanta,\u201d Feldman wrote. \u201cAn undersized prospect at 6-2, 241 pounds with 31 5\/8-inch arms, Thomas ran a 4.67 40 with a 1.63-10-yard split. The Sooners were really salty on defense last year, and Thomas played a big role in that. He had 9.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks last season after producing 12.5 and nine in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got good get-off, can really bend, and is very slippery,\u201d said an SEC OC. \u201cHe\u2019s also more powerful than you think, but there are games where you see him getting mauled.\u201d<\/p>\n

OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State<\/p>\n

Field Yates, ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n

This seems unlikely, as Yates notes. But it would be a great pick if it works out this way.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s plausible that Iheanachor is also gone way before this selection, as he has major upside due to only five years of football experience,\u201d Yates wrote. \u201c(He did not play in high school.) He showed steady annual improvement at Arizona State and has excellent traits, including an 83\u00bc-inch wingspan. Atlanta’s starting tackles are rock solid, but LT Jake Matthews is 34, and RT Kaleb McGary is 31.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is another player who stands a chance to be around<\/a> the NFL for a long-term period, according to NFL.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has good length and excellent lean mass,\u201d Zierlein wrote. \u201cHis hands and footwork need refinement, but his range and play strength should translate to any run scheme. There is work to do with pass-protection technique, but strong performances against Texas Tech\u2019s rush duo last season and at the Senior Bowl suggest Iheanachor might be more game-ready than I previously anticipated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a year light on high-end tackles, Iheanachor\u2019s measurables, athleticism, and upside could push him up the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

OT, Kayden McDonald, Ohio State<\/p>\n

Jordan Reid, ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n

The Falcons need to get better against the run if they\u2019re going to be in the playoff mix.<\/p>\n

\u201cNose tackle is a clear need for the Falcons,\u201d Reid wrote. \u201cMcDonald is a stout presence on the interior who led the country in run stop win rate last season (7.8%) while also possessing a pass-rushing punch.\u201d<\/p>\n

DT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

Tim Weaver, Falcons Wire<\/a><\/p>\n

This address that run-defense issue. Hunter could be a bit of a sleeper pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst things first, Atlanta absolutely has to bolster the interior defensive line rotation,\u201d Weaver wrote. \u201cWith that in mind, we used the first pick on Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter (6-foot-4, 325 pounds).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile his athletic scores leave something to be desired, Hunter has the size and lower-body power to play nose tackle well at the next level. In 52 career college games, Hunter posted 7.5 sacks and 32 tackles for a loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, it’s a tough draft for the Falcons. They have few picks, so every pick matters. That puts a lot of pressure on the organization. And it means they will be busy when the undrafted free-agent period begins.<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Falcons may need to get creative since they don\u2019t have a first-round pick. But overall, this draft is crucial for the organization. And here is the Falcons\u2019 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup with the pre-draft cycle ending. There aren\u2019t a lot of picks on the board for the Falcons. Their first one comes at No. 48 overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Atlanta Falcons may need to get creative since they don\u2019t have a first-round pick. But overall, this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865647,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2074],"tags":[223,254,2554,18731,224,7,6,15,18732],"class_list":{"0":"post-865646","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-atlantafalcons","11":"tag-editorials","12":"tag-falcons","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft","16":"tag-nfl-editorials"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116398730985744222","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}