PFF Reveals Atlanta Falcons Most Underrated Player

With most of the spotlight shining on skill-position players, it’s easy to forget the players battling in the trenches. 

Although the Atlanta Falcons' defensive front struggled throughout last season, Pro Football Focus’s Jonathon Macri feels that one Falcons defensive lineman deserves more praise. 

According to Macri, David Onyemata is the most underrated player on the Falcons roster heading into the 2025-2026 NFL season, mainly because of his durability.

“At 32 years old, Onyemata is coming off his seventh season of logging more than 500 defensive snaps, proving to be one of the more reliable players at his position in recent years,” wrote Macri.

Besides his tendency to simply stay on the field, Onyemata has been quietly productive through his first two seasons with the Falcons. 

Like virtually every Falcons defender in 2024, Onyemata saw his productivity decline. The Nigerian native made 31 solo tackles (20th among all defensive linemen) while tallying three sacks and 19 total pressures. 

He was better in 2023, his first season in Atlanta, finishing with a career-high 33 solo tackles, five sacks, and 34 total pressures. He ended the season as PFF’s 12th-highest graded defensive linemen, while also earning the 7th-highest run defense grade at his position. 

Over the past two seasons, Onyemata has the 14th-best run-defense grade (73.1) and the 21st-best overall grade (77.7) among defensive linemen, according to PFF.

It was a bit of a surprise that Onyemata was still on the roster after the free agent period. He’s in the final year of his deal and carries a $16.9-million cap hit against only $9.4-million dead money. Meaning, the cash-strapped Falcons could have saved over $7 million by moving on from him, according to Spotrac.

However, once the Falcons cut Grady Jarrett in March, Onyemata’s veteran presence instantly became more valuable on a young defensive front. 

Before becoming a Falcon, Onyemata spent seven seasons with the New Orleans Saints. The nine-year veteran was also a steady contributor with his previous team, ranking among PFF’s top-10 defensive linemen in two separate seasons (2020, 2021). 

His best season as a Saint came in 2020, when he finished with a career-high seven sacks while ending the season as PFF’s ninth-highest graded defensive lineman.

Assuming Atlanta’s two rookie pass-rushers (Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr) are as good as advertised, Onyemata should be able to capitalize on the extra chaos. If offenses are stuck game-planning for Walker and Pearce Jr, Onyemata looks poised for a bounce-back year under new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.