Falcons Projected to Land 'Physical,' 'Powerful' Edge Rusher

The Atlanta Falcons were able to find Day 1 contributors for their offense with Drake London and Bijan Robinson in recent NFL drafts. Atlanta could greatly improve its 2025 playoff chances if it were to do the same for the defense this April.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein predicted the Falcons to do just that. In his first NFL mock draft of the offseason, Zierlein had the Falcons select Marshall edge rusher Mike Green at No. 15 overall.

"Green beat the brakes off his competition en route to a monster 2024, and the Falcons need pass-rush help," Zierlein wrote. "He's an explosive rusher with the talent to start on Day 1."

Zierlein admitted that some NFL teams will wish he was "heavier and longer." But Zierlein still hyped the edge rushing prospect for his physicality.

"He’s very physical, with notes of violence in the way he attacks blockers in both phases," Zierlein wrote in his full overview of Green. "His explosiveness allows him to penetrate gaps, play around or through the protection edges and change direction quickly to finish in the backfield.

"He relentlessly presses forward, but can run out of gas due to his hot-running motor."

Green started his college career at Virginia in 2021. But after transferring to Marshall, he became a star in the Sun Belt conference.

During two seasons at Marshall, Green posted 21.5 sacks with 127 combined tackles, including nine tackles for loss. He also had four forced fumbles and two pass defenses.

In 2024, he registered 17 sacks and 23 tackles for loss on his way to Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The Falcons desperately need an edge rusher who could make that kind of impact on their defense. Atlanta finished second-to-last in sacks during the 2024 season. The Falcons haven't been in the top half of the league in sacks at the end of a season since 2017.

That was the last time the Falcons were in the playoffs.

Not everyone, though, believes Green is the edge rusher the Falcons desperately need to add in the first round. Bleacher Report's Matt Holder graded him as a second-round pick in 2025.

Holder's biggest concern was around Green's weight. NFL.com currently lists Green at 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds.

"If Green can add the necessary size and strength in an NFL weight program, he can become an every-down player as a standup outside linebacker in odd fronts," Holder wrote. "As a rookie and maybe for his first couple of years, he'll likely be more of a third-down pass-rusher though."

Zierlein compared Green to Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith. Current NFL comparisons are always tricky for draft prospects. Most comparisons link players in terms of style. But I'd be wary of that comparison as a Falcons fan because although Highsmith is a good edge rusher in his own right, he's benefitted greatly from playing alongside T.J. Watt.

Obviously, players like Watt don't grow on trees. But if the Falcons are going to draft an edge rusher in the first round, he should have the potential to be a No. 1 sack producer like Watt.

It is, though, still very early in the draft process. So, it will be interesting to see if Green can put to rest some of the concerns around his weight during the NFL combine and throughout the rest of this spring.