Falcons Draft Oklahoma DB Billy Bowman Jr. in Fourth Round

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons selected Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman Jr. with the 118th pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft Saturday afternoon.

Bowman is the fourth player the Falcons have drafted, joining Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker (No. 15 overall), Tennessee outside linebacker James Pearce Jr. (No. 26 overall) and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (No. 96 overall).

The Falcons have now double-dipped on safety with Watts and Bowman. Both players have notable ball production -- Watts had 13 interceptions over the past two seasons, while Bowman had 11 career interceptions.

The 5'10", 192-pound Bowman started 41 games across four seasons at Oklahoma. He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick in 2023 after finishing tied for fourth in the FBS with six interceptions and leading the FBS with three pick-sixes. He was a third-team All-SEC selection in 2024, notching 54 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three pass breakups.

Here's NFL.com's scouting report on Bowman:

"The only things keeping Bowman from a higher grade is a lack of NFL size and his inconsistencies as a tackler," writes Lance Zierlein. "He’s fluid and athletic to man up over the slot. He’s meddlesome to float around looking for playmaking opportunities in zone coverage. He’ll struggle matching on big bodies and will get beat on jump balls downfield.

"He loves to rocket downhill to support the run but he lacks stopping power and will miss his share of tackles. His size and tackling inconsistency might be a concern for some teams, but he’s too instinctive and versatile to overlook as a safety/corner hybrid with starting talent."

The Falcons have one pick remaining: No. 218 overall in the seventh round.