Kevin Stefanski Articulates His Role in the Falcons' Draft Room

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons will be welcoming a new group of players to their roster next week during the NFL Draft. With this being the first cycle with the new front office, speculation about what Ian Cunningham’s potential draft strategy looks like has swirled, but not much has been said about the role new head coach Kevin Stefanski will play in this process. 

The new head coach addressed his job in this process last week ahead of the Falcons’ voluntary workouts. 

“It's kind of like game day in that you've had so many of those discussions leading up to it,” Stefanski said. “So Ian already, I can tell you – having not been through a draft with him – but I can already tell you he'll be ultra prepared. I'm there to help him answer any questions about the role and fit of players – which we’ve done already. We've had those conversations, and we'll continue to have those conversations. But as you get into the draft and guys become available, it's my job and our coach's job to explain the role and fit to Ian so that he can make informed decisions.” 

While Cunningham will make the ultimate decision during this process, Stefanski has played an important role, too. So much is said about physical traits, positional need, or collegiate production, but how a player fits culturally and understanding how that player can be coached can be just as important. 

Over the years, so many players have been drafted into situations where they may not have been the best fit. On the surface, it could be easy to gloss over, but Stefanski has been around long enough to understand how important it is to know what he is getting in his players before draft day. 

“So much of what we do leading into the draft process is trying to understand how the players learn best,” the Falcons head coach explained. “And our job as coaches, as teachers, is to work with our students, work with our players, to understand the best way for them to learn. 

“So much of this information that they're getting, you can feel like you're drinking out of a fire hose, right? It can be a lot. It’s our job to make sure that we give them the information in a digestible way, in ways that, whether it's on the grass, whether it's on the board, or being flexible as teachers, as coaches, I think, is so important.” 

Stefanski is in the midst of his first interactions with his new squad, but that group will grow by the time he is permitted to meet with them again for organized team activities in May. The Falcons will have just five selections in next week’s NFL Draft, and making sure they get the right players will be crucial for a team looking to reclaim their spot in the postseason next fall. 

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