Ian Cunningham’s Remarks Offer Clues to Falcons’ Draft Plans

FLOWERY BRANCH – Draft week has finally arrived, and the Atlanta Falcons will be making moves alongside the rest of the NFL to continue building out their rosters. The Falcons still have just five selections ahead of this pivotal week of action, and they will need to make the most of what they have. 

Despite lacking a first-round pick, the Falcons enter this week as one of the more interesting teams. More than half of their roster is on an expiring deal, and they are carrying just 25 players into 2027 as it stands. Looming extensions and draftees will change that over the next several weeks, but the lack of depth across the roster means a reasonable argument is there for just about any position on the field. 

Not a lot would be surprising for pick 48. Barring maybe a running back or quarterback, everything is on the table for the Falcons. 

Fortunately, there is still plenty of value throughout this class. Barring a trade to acquire more capital, Ian Cunningham will need to be judicious about how he approaches his first draft as a general manager. He has been hard at work over the last several months putting together his board and weighing his options.  

“We’re just trying to create competition,” he said. “We’re just trying to get some good football players to bring into the building, for the organization and for the coaches, that we're all excited about. We've earmarked a few players at each position, across all levels, that we're all excited about, and looking forward to being able to bring some of those players into the building.” 

Cunningham has said several times now that he is in the market for the ‘best player available’ when it comes time to make a pick. That said, he is also acutely aware of the “positional cliffs” in every draft and how his available resources impact his ability to maximize value. 

Without tipping his hand, Cunningham provided some insight into where this class lines up. 

“Receivers are deep,” he said when asked about the strengths and weaknesses of this draft class. “You’ve got some really good players at the top, and you've got really good players with different skill sets in the middle of the rounds.”

The receiving group has several different “flavors,” with some physical possession players and slot guys who can get in and out of breaks. The perceived depth of the position means the Falcons can wait on a guy until later in the draft, opting instead to pursue another position of need that may not feature the same level of ability. 

Cunningham referred to the defensive tackle position, one of the bigger needs for the Falcons this spring, as one of the “weaker” spots in this class (or lacking the same depth). 

That may indicate where they are looking to go at 48, but it all depends on how that board falls on Thursday and Friday. Balancing his team’s needs while also maximizing the value of his limited selections will be an intricate affair, and one that the general manager says he is looking forward to. 

“I’m excited,” Cunningham said. “We're excited to see who we're going to bring in this week.” 

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