As a lead-up to the 2023 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Atlanta Falcons.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2023 NFL Draft hub.
Who did the Falcons pick in the NFL Draft?
The Atlanta Falcons selected Bijan Robinson (RB, Texas) with the 8th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Falcons added Matthew Bergeron (OL, Syracuse) with the 38th overall pick.
Atlanta selected Zach Harrison (EDGE, Ohio State) with the 75th pick.
Falcons Draft Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2023
- EDGE
- Wide Receiver
- Defensive Back
What Picks do the Atlanta Falcons have in 2023?
The Atlanta Falcons have seven picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (8)
- Round 2 (44)
- Round 3 (75)
- Round 4 (110)
- Round 4 (113)
- Round 7 (224)
- Round 7 (225)
Atlanta Falcons Draft Capital Stats
Our Sharp Draft Value Rank is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
This is based on two public models: performance delivered based on draft slot (the AV model created by Chase Stuart) and contractual earnings in non-rookie deals based upon draft slot (the OTC model created by Brad Spielberger and Jason Fitzgerald).
- Falcons Sharp Draft Value Rank: 10 of 32 teams
- Falcons AV Model Draft Value Rank: 10 of 32 teams
- Falcons OTC Model Draft Value Rank: 10 of 32 teams
Atlanta Falcons Draft Value vs Other Teams:
The Falcons' draft value is 13% higher than the league average of all 32 teams. Nine other teams have more draft value entering the 2023 NFL Draft.
Atlanta Falcons Draft Prediction:
The Falcons are predicted to draft Lukas Van Ness (EDGE, Iowa) with their 1st-round pick (#8 overall) according to the most recent mock draft from Ryan McCrystal.
Another mock draft expert, Brendan Donahue, has the Falcons predicted to draft Bijan Robinson (RB, Texas) with their first-round pick according to his most recent mock draft.
Atlanta Falcons Strength of Schedule, 2023
The Atlanta Falcons have the second easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2023 NFL season.
Atlanta Falcons Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Atlanta Falcons, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
2022 Atlanta Falcons Offensive Rankings
Quarterback Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Desmond Ridder
- Taylor Heinicke
- Logan Woodside
- Felipe Franks
The Falcons have told us they are going to give Desmond Ridder a shot this season to prove he can be their starting quarterback.
As a third-round pick (74th overall) last season, the Falcons can cash in on significant contractual leverage if Ridder does prove himself to be that option moving forward.
Atlanta went 2-2 in Ridder’s four starts as a rookie. Over that span, Ridder was 17th in expected points added per dropback (-0.08) and 20th in success rate (38.6%) throwing the football.
The Falcons made sure to ease him into things. Ridder used play action on a league-high 41.7% of his pass attempts over that span while he was under center for just 26.1% of his dropbacks (23rd).
Atlanta added Taylor Heinicke as veteran insurance behind Ridder.
Heinicke went 12-11-1 as a starter over the past two seasons with Washington, with two of those wins coming against the Falcons.
The team also has Logan Woodside and their own thrift store version of Taysom Hill in Felipe Franks on the roster.
Running Back Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Tyler Allgeier
- Caleb Huntley
- Avery Williams
- B.J. Baylor
- Keith Smith (FB)
- Clint Ratkovich (FB)
The Falcons fielded one of the best running games in the NFL last season.
Atlanta running backs led the NFL in rushing yards (2,209) and yards per carry (4.9). They ranked second in expected points added per carry (0.04), were third in success rate (44.0%), and third in rate of carries to result in a first down or touchdown (25.7%).
Atlanta revamped their rushing attack by using pistol formations on a league-high 384 offensive snaps. Only one other team (the Ravens) used pistol formations on over 100 plays.
Nearly every running back had success in this system in 2022.
The Falcons had three different rushers in Tyler Allgeier (eighth), Cordarrelle Patterson (17th), and Caleb Huntley (10th) all inside of the top-20 backs in EPA per rush among the 69 different running backs to have 50 or more rushing attempts on the season.
The highlight of the season was getting 1,174 yards from scrimmage out of Allgeier, who the team selected in the fifth round (151st overall).
Allgeier was second in the NFL in EPA per rush among all running backs with 100 or more carries on the season while his 3.58 yards after contact per carry ranked fifth.
Over the final four weeks of the season, the Falcons leaned into seeing what Allgeier had. Over that span, he led the NFL in rushing yards (431) while averaging 5.5 yards per carry (tied for first) and 4.19 yards after contact per carry (first).
Allgeier was behind both Patterson and Huntley in explosive run rate, and there is a chicken or egg question here in terms of talent or scheme leading the cart in production.
That scheme and the success of all of the backs are exactly why the Falcons do not need to use premier capital on a running back. Especially with Allgeier making less than $1.2 million over in each of the next three seasons.
The team still has Patterson signed for 2023. They alleviated his workload as the season progressed, and he was banged up for the second straight season. But when Patterson did run the football, he was second in the NFL in success rate (48.6%) as a runner.
The team still has exclusive rights on Huntley after this season, who was 12th in success rate per carry (43.4%) to go along with his top-10 ranking in EPA per rush.
Avery Williams is also signed for the next two seasons. Williams was the primary return man and ancillary long down and distance back last season.
Atlanta can and should continue to add another Day 3 back to the mix here, but this running game is optimal to shop in the value aisle.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Drake London
- Mack Hollins
- Scotty Miller
- Frank Darby
- KhaDarel Hodge
- Jared Bernhardt
- Josh Ali
- Ra’Shaun Henry
Partially due to the marriage of talent at the position and scheme, the Atlanta wide receivers combined to rank 30th in the NFL in targets (228), 29th in receptions (142), 29th in receiving yards (1,899), and tied for 24th in receiving touchdowns (10) in 2022.
The team selected Drake London eighth overall in last year’s draft. Although London’s counting stats (72-866-4) were not as lofty as other rookie wideouts, his efficiency and production within the parameters of his offensive environment were rock solid.
London was targeted on 28.2% of his routes run as a rookie, which ranked fifth in the league among all wide receivers. He accounted for 29.3% of the Atlanta team targets (third among wideouts).
London’s 2.09 yards per route run was 16th among all NFL wideouts last season and trailed only Chris Olave among rookie wide receivers.
In fact, London’s yards per route run as a rookie rank seventh among all rookie wide receivers to run over 300 pass routes over the past decade.
The names above him are Odell Beckham, A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Olave, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The immediate names below him are Mike Evans, Michael Thomas, and Cooper Kupp. Good company to keep.
Behind London, this is a complete wasteland.
The team added Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller via free agency, but each was only signed to one-year contracts.
The Hollins signing makes sense since he was sixth in run blocking grade among all wide receivers in 2022 to go along with the best receiving season of his career. After catching 56 passes over his first five NFL seasons, Hollins caught 57 passes last season for 690 yards and four touchdowns.
The only wideouts that the Falcons have signed beyond this season other than London are Jared Bernhardt, Josh Ali, and Ra’Shaun Henry, none of whom have caught a pass yet in the NFL.
Tight End Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Kyle Pitts
- Jonnu Smith
- Parker Hesse
- John FitzPatrick
- Tucker Fisk
- John Raine
After a 1,000-yard season as a rookie, Kyle Pitts took a step back in his second year in the league. After averaging 4.0 receptions for 60.4 yards per game as a rookie, Pitts only averaged 2.8 receptions for 35.6 yards per game last season.
He also only appeared in 10 games due to injury to further compound matters, leaving him with 28 receptions for 356 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.
Part of Pitts’ struggles last season came from the offensive system.
Pitts was still sixth among all tight ends in yards per route run (1.72 yards). He was targeted on 28.5% of his routes, which led all tight ends that ran 100 or more routes last season, but he also only ran 20.7 routes per game, which was 28th at the position.
The main strength of Pitts also has become part of what hindered his counting stats along with the low volume passing attack in Atlanta and his quarterback play to this point.
Because Pitts is such an athletic marvel and can be used in ways other ways tight ends cannot, it has impacted his production in this offense. His greatest gifts helped create his 2022 demise.
Atlanta built his entire package last season around his downfield ability and not much else.
Pitts averaged 13.8 air yards per target last season, which was the highest of all tight ends.
28.8% of his targets were on throws 20 yards or further downfield (second) while only 39.0% of his targets were shorter than 10 yards downfield, which was 68th out of 71 qualifying tight ends.
Pitts simply does not get enough easy targets to exploit his athleticism. He was forced to live on targets that inherently come with a lower success rate. As a byproduct, 28.8% of his targets were deemed inaccurate due to the quarterback, which led the position.
Compare Pitts to someone like Mark Andrews. Andrews is in a low-volume offense and has a high depth of target for a tight end, but he is given a smattering of shallow targets as well.
Since Pitts entered the league, he has 83 targets shorter than 10 yards downfield. Andrews has 150.
While Pitts was a disappointment in raw stats over his sophomore season, his efficiency was still strong despite being used in an inefficient manner. Atlanta simply needs to do a better job getting him more layups instead of making him live as a three-point shooter.
Behind Pitts, the team added Jonnu Smith via trade with the Patriots.
Smith was a letdown in New England, catching just 55 total passes for 539 yards and one touchdown in 30 games with the Patriots. After playing over 70% of the offensive snaps over his final three seasons with the Titans, Smith played just 51% and 49% of the snaps in his two seasons with the Patriots.
Atlanta was sixth in the NFL last season in rate of plays in 12 personnel (23.4%), second in use of 22 personnel (10.6%), and 10th in 13 personnel (6.1%). That should give Smith more runway to earn snaps with the Falcons.
Atlanta took on the remaining two years of his contract, signaling they see Smith having a role in the offense.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Falcons:
LT: Jake Matthews/Joshua Miles/Tyler Vrabel
LG: Matt Hennessy/Jalen Mayfield/Kyle Hinton
C: Drew Dalman/Ryan Neuzil/Jonotthan Harrison
RG: Chris Lindstrom/Justin Shaffer
RT: Kaleb McGary/Germain Ifedi
The Atlanta offensive line was 19th in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric (59%). Despite their success as a running offense, they were just 25th in the run block win rate metric (71%), although Pro Football Focus gave the team their highest collective run blocking grade on the season.
The core of this line is solid.
Chris Lindstrom has developed into one of the best guards in the league. He allowed the lowest pressure rate among all guards last season (1.9%) and was the highest-graded guard overall at Pro Football Focus in 2022.
Kaleb McGary has made great strides on his own but still needs more in the passing game.
McGary earned the second-highest run blocking grade among offensive tackles last season at PFF behind Trent Williams but came in 52nd in pass blocking grade.
Jake Matthews enters his 10th NFL season and is still a reliable left tackle. Matthews allowed pressure on just 3.5% of his snaps in pass protection, 12th among tackles last season.
All of Matthews, Lindstrom, and McGary are signed through 2025.
Center and left guard were the primary problem spots here.
Drew Dalman started all 17 games at center in his second season but allowed a 5.7% pressure rate. That ranked 38th out of 45 qualifying centers. Dalman was 11th in run blocking grade at Pro Football Focus but 32nd in pass blocking grade.
Left guard was a revolving door last season, with all of Elijah Wilkinson, Colby Gossett, and Matt Hennessy playing over 100 snaps at the spot.
Hennessy was the best performer of that group but also enters 2023 in the final season of his rookie contract. Atlanta should be in the mix to attack interior offensive line.
Atlanta Falcons Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Dan Pizzuta breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Atlanta Falcons, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.
2022 Atlanta Falcons Defensive Rankings
Interior Defensive Line Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Grady Jarrett
- Calais Campbell
- David Onyemata
- Eddie Goldman
- Ta’Quon Graham
- Jalen Dalton
- Amani Bledsoe
- Timmy Horne
- Joe Gaziano
Grady Jarrett was 10th among interior linemen in ESPN’s pass rush win rate, but not a ton of those wins turned into pressures or sacks. Opposing teams averaged the seventh-fastest time to throw against the Falcons, which took away from some potential for a more impactful pass rush.
The Falcons added to the interior by grabbing Calais Campbell and David Onyemata in free agency.
Campbell, even entering his age-37 season, remains an impactful player on the line. His 14 quarterback hits from 2022 would have ranked second on the Falcons behind Jarrett.
Onyemata has at least 10 quarterback hits in each of the past four seasons, but that can come at the expense of the run defense. Just 11.6% of his run snaps resulted in a tackle.
Atlanta doesn’t seem to care much. The Falcons were 24th in EPA per play against the run but were 29th against the pass, which has gotten more focus this offseason.
EDGE Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Lorenzo Carter
- Arnold Ebiketie
- Adetokunbo Ogundeji
- DeAngelo Malone
- Quinton Bell
- David Anenih
Struggles to rush the passer were pronounced at the edge. The Falcons were 31st in pressure rate last season, per TruMedia. But to this point, not much has been added.
Lorenzo Carter only converted 12.1% of his pressures to sacks, and his 12 quarterback hits tied for 67th among defenders in 2022. He re-signed on a two-year deal in Atlanta.
The Falcons selected Arnold Ebiketie in the second round of the 2022 draft. He was a player that did better in pressures than sacks.
Ebiketie was around the pressure rates of fellow rookie pass rushers but only had 2.5 sacks on the season. Just 8.9% of his pressures and 22.3% of his quarterback hits resulted in sacks.
There is still youth in the top two rushers, but the Falcons could go with a top-tier pass rusher should one be available in the top 10.
Off-ball Linebacker Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Mykal Walker
- Kaden Elliss
- Troy Anderson
- Nate Landman
- Tae Davis
- Dorian Etheridge
Kaden Elliss could be a piece of the pass rush. He is a linebacker but rushed the passer on over 30% of his pass snaps.
He, like Onyemata, joins defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen from the Saints. Elliss said his ability to play multiple positions with the Falcons drew him to sign with the team.
Mykal Walker played 68.5% of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in 2022, mostly alongside Rashaan Evans, who is still a free agent.
Walker made a lot of cleanup tackles that didn’t produce a positive play for the defense, and he was 64th among linebackers in yards allowed per coverage snap.
2022 second-round pick Troy Anderson was on the field for 42.9% of the defensive snaps and that role could increase. However, just 31.9% of his tackles produced a positive play for the defense. That was the lowest rate among 75 linebackers with at least 60 tackles.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Falcons:
- A.J. Terrell
- Jeff Okudah
- Mike Hughes
- Darren Hall
- Dee Alford
- Javelin Guidry
- Matt Hankins
- Cornell Armstrong
- Dylan Mabin
- John Reid
- Jamal Peters
After a breakout 2021, A.J. Terrell had a drop in production. He was 62nd among outside corners in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap. He still showed all the traits to be a top outside corner, but everyone on the Falcons struggled with production last season.
Casey Hayward was just slightly better at 60th in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap, and he was cut less than a week before the draft.
In a move to boost the secondary depth and swing on upside, the Falcons traded a fifth-round pick for Jeff Okudah. The former third-overall pick struggled through bad coaching and injuries early in his career.
2022 might have been the best season of his career, but he still finished 75th among outside corners in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap.
He could spend more time in the slot, but even there he was 36th in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap among 45 qualified slot corners last season.
Especially with Hayward gone, this looks like a need.
Safety Depth Chart, Falcons:
- Jessie Bates
- Richie Grant
- Jaylinn Hawkins
- Jovante Moffatt
- Micah Abernathy
The Falcons might have overpaid relative to the market for Jessie Bates, but getting a deep safety had to be a top priority for the defense.
Bates is one of the few true deep safeties who can handle single-high coverage, even though the Bengals went to more two-high in 2022.
Richie Grant spent 41.7% of his snaps — he played 99.6% of them for the Falcons — as a deep safety. The rest of the time was split between the line of scrimmage, the box, and the slot.
The addition of Bates could allow Grant to play up more and take some deep responsibilities away.
Last year, Atlanta had one of the highest rates of single-high coverages, but the Saints (where Nielsen comes from) had one of the lowest with a nearly even split between middle of the field open and closed.
