Falcons recent draft history is more impressive than fans may realize

If you ask fans, the Falcons haven’t been great in the draft.

Everyone loves revisionist history, especially the 2017 NFL Draft where Atlanta selected Takk McKinley over T.J. Watt, or Sam Baker a decade earlier. It’s easy to have 20/20 vision when looking in the rearview mirror, but the club has actually been decent in recent years.

Since 2018, the Falcons rank tied for second in the league for the largest percentage of draft picks still in the NFL.

Since Brandon Beane’s first draft as GM for the Bills in 2018, 90% of the players he drafted are still in the league.
 
This is tied for second in the NFL.
 
49ers     91%
Bills        90% 🔥
Falcons 90%
Bucs       90%
Cowboys    88%
Seahawks  87%
Giants   86%
 #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/bbXmkwBFk8

— Put Steve Tasker in the Hall of Fame (@HOFSteveTasker) April 9, 2024

That period spans two GMs, Terry Fontenot from 2021 to 2023 and Thomas Dimitroff from 2018 to 2020. Here are how those drafts shook out:

2023 NFL Draft

• Bijan Robinson | Round 1, Pick 8
  RB, Texas
• Matthew Bergeron | Round 2, Pick 38
  OL, Syracuse
• Zach Harrison | Round 3, Pick 75
  EDGE, Ohio State
• Clark Phillips III | Round 4, Pick 113
  CB, Utah
• DeMarcco Hellams | Round 7, Pick 224
  S, Alabama
• Jovaughn Gwyn | Round 7, Pick 225
  G, South Carolina

2022 NFL Draft

• Drake London | Round 1, Pick 8
  WR, USC
• Arnold Ebiketie | Round 2, Pick 38
  EDGE, Penn State
• Troy Andersen | Round 2, Pick 58
  LB, Montana State
• Desmond Ridder | Round 3, Pick 74
  QB, Cincinnati
• DeAngelo Malone | Round 3, Pick 82
  EDGE, Western Kentucky
• Tyler Allgeier | Round 5, Pick 151
  RB, BYU
• Justin Shaffer | Round 6, Pick 190
  G, Georgia
• John FitzPatrick | Round 6, Pick 213
  TE, Georgia

2021 NFL Draft

• Kyle Pitts | Round 1, Pick 4
  TE, Florida
• Richie Grant | Round 2, Pick 40
  DB, Central Florida
• Jalen Mayfield | Round 3, Pick 68
  OL, Michigan
• Darren Hall | Round 4, Pick 108
  CB, San Diego State
• Drew Dalman | Round 4, Pick 114
  C, Stanford
• Ta’Quon Graham | Round 5, Pick 148
  DL, Texas
• Adetokunbo Ogundeji | Round 5, Pick 182
  DL, Notre Dame
• Avery Williams | Round 5, Pick 183
  CB, Boise State
• Frank Darby | Round 6, Pick 187
  WR, Arizona State

2020 NFL Draft

• AJ Terrell | Round 1, Pick 16
  CB, Clemson
• Marlon Davidson | Round 2, Pick 47
  DE, Auburn
• Matt Hennessy | Round 3, Pick 78
  C, Temple
• Mykal Walker | Round 4, Pick 119
  LB, Fresno State
• Jaylinn Hawkins | Round 4, Pick 134
  S, California
• Sterling Hofrichter | Round 7, Pick 228
  P, Syracuse

2019 NFL Draft

• Chris Lindstrom | Round 1, Pick 14
  G, Boston College
• Kaleb McGary | Round 1, Pick 31
  T, Washington
• Kendall Sheffield | Round 4, Pick 111
  CB, Ohio State
• John Cominsky | Round 4, Pick 135
  DE, Charleston (WV)
• Qadree Ollison | Round 5, Pick 152
  RB, Pittsburgh
• Jordan Miller | Round 5, Pick 172
  CB, Washington
• Marcus Green | Round 6, Pick 203
  WR, La-Monroe

2018 NFL Draft

• Calvin Ridley | Round 1, Pick 26
  WR, Alabama
• Isaiah Oliver | Round 2, Pick 58
  CB, Colorado
• Deadrin Senat | Round 3, Pick 90
  DT, South Florida
• Ito Smith | Round 4, Pick 126
  RB, Southern Miss
• Russell Gage | Round 6, Pick 194
  WR, LSU
• Foyesade Oluokun | Round 6, Pick 200
  S, Yale

As of right now, Fontenot doesn’t have a single selection out of the league, but that could soon change.

The Falcons drafted Jalen Mayfield in the third round of Fontenot’s first cycle as GM, and there’s a strong chance that he and Frank Darby, a seventh-round pick, are the first selections out of the league.

Even Dimitroff’s last three drafts were very productive, in terms of finding NFL-quality football players. There are only four players from that period who are no longer in the NFL — Ito Smith, Jordan Miller, Marcus Green, and Sterling Hofrichter.

It’s not to say those players went on to do great things for the Falcons because the club has had its fair share of struggles in retaining the right players and letting the right ones walk.

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