2025 NFL Draft Order: Falcons Slotted in Middle of First Round

The Atlanta Falcons are set to make one of the last first-round picks among the NFL teams who didn't make the 2024-25 postseason.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After failing to clinch a playoff spot or register a winning record in Week 18, it feels like not much has changed with the Atlanta Falcons over the past several years.

But one thing will be different going into 2025. The Falcons will not be picking eighth in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

At the conclusion of the evening games on January 5, the draft order for the non-NFL playoff teams was finalized. The Falcons hold the No. 15 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

This offseason will be the first time since 2021 that the Falcons do not have the eighth overall selection. In 2021, the Falcons selected tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 4.

The last time the Falcons didn't make a top 10 selection in the NFL draft was 2020. That spring, they drafted cornerback AJ Terrell at No. 16 overall.

The Falcons have experienced success drafting at No. 8. The past three years, they chose wide receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in that slot.

It will be interesting to see if the Falcons once again improve the strength of their roster and draft an offensive player in the first round. The last time the Falcons targeted a defender in the first round was Terrell in 2020.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South with a victory Sunday. That eliminated the Falcons from playoff contention.

So, the Falcons actually may have improved their future, or at least their 2025 draft position, with the Week 18 loss to the Carolina Panthers. But that improvement was only a couple spots. The Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals each won in Week 18, and they will be selecting after the Falcons in the first round.

Of course, draft position is always tenative. There will surely be trades, so not every team will actual make the selections were they are currently slotted.

The Falcons were one of four teams that finished the 2024 season 8-9. The Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts ended the campaign 8-9 and hold the picks just ahead of the Falcons. The Cardinals were the other NFL team with an 8-9 mark this year.

Atlanta's NFC South rivals, the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, each have top 10 selections. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit in the No. 20 spot entering the postseason, but that could change based on how deep into the playoffs they advance.