Pair of Falcons make PFF’s list of top 25 players under 25

The Falcons have invested heavily in their offense since Terry Fontenot arrived in Atlanta, spending four straight top 10 picks on a tight end, wide receiver, running back, and quarterback.

Hilariously, that seems like the process of 13-year-old me on Madden building a team, but Fontenot is adamant about his process being the correct approach. Unfortunately, we won’t know how Michael Penix will work out for the Falcons for what could be a couple of seasons, but we should see immediate returns on the Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson picks.

With Kirk Cousins and Zac Robinson in the fold, the Falcons should finally see their top 10 picks realize their full potential, at least come close to it. Even still, two of them are included in PFF’s top 25 under 25 years old rankings.

16. RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

Expectations were sky-high for Robinson after the Falcons selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. While he rushed for more than 100 yards twice in his first four games, he was unable to reach that milestone in his last 13 outings.

Even though the production was not necessarily there in 2023, Robinson remains one of the most promising young skill-position players in the NFL.

25. TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

While Pitts surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie year, he failed to reach 700 receiving yards in either of his two seasons since then. However, he is still only 23 years old and has shown plenty of potential to suggest that he can become one of the top tight ends in the NFL.

I’m a little surprised that Kyle Pitts even made the list. That’s what sky-high potential will do for a guy, and well, a record-breaking rookie campaign doesn’t hurt.

Pitts nearly broke Mike Ditka’s all-time receiving record for a rookie tight end with a shell of Matt Ryan throwing him balls. Kirk Cousins is no spring chicken, but he’s certainly a better quarterback than Desmond Ridder and Marcus Mariota.

With his injury another year behind him and a more than solid signal caller, the Falcons star tight end should be in for a very big 2024 campaign.

As for Robinson, the Falcons spent a top 10 pick on a running back a year after Tyler Allgeier broke the franchise record for rushing yards by a rookie. Robinson was supposed to be a jack-of-all-trades, an offensive weapon, not just a running back. That never came to fruition under Arthur Smith. The hope is that Zac Robinson and an overall more effective offense will benefit Bijan Robinson.

The Falcons better hope they start to see a return on their investment in these top 10 picks, who are still oozing with potential.