Atlanta Falcons 'Wide Open' with No. 8 Draft Pick, Says GM Terry Fontenot

The Atlanta Falcons won't reach for a pass rusher at No. 8 overall, general manager Terry Fontenot said at the league's annual owners meeting.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during the NFL Combine. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot finds himself in a familiar position entering the NFL Draft.

For the third consecutive year, Fontenot and the Falcons possess the No. 8 overall pick. The difference, however, lays under center, where Atlanta has secured its short-term answer with veteran Kirk Cousins, who's set to make $90 million guaranteed over the next two seasons.

The Falcons still have some of the same needs as years past, including pass rusher and receiver. Fontenot has selected offensive weapons in the first round of each of his three drafts - tight end Kyle Pitts at No. 4 in 2021 before selecting receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson at No. 8 in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

This time around, Atlanta's expected to address its defense, with Fontenot and first-year head coach Raheem Morris each noting the need to improve the pass rush while Morris said the team will add a young piece at corner.

But the Falcons aren't limiting themselves to specific positions at No. 8. Fontenot has long been abided by the "best player available" approach - and he intends on continuing that trend this year, even if it takes maneuvering the draft board to do so.

"It's a strong draft," Fontenot said. "We're going to be staring at some really good players at eight, or whether we're up a little bit or whether we're back a little bit, and that's the excitement. We're wide open. And I love that about Raheem and the staff - we're completely wide open.

"And we know we just have to continue to improve this football team."

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during the NFL Combine. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Fontenot pointed to the draft philosophy of NFL Hall of Fame tight end and former Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome.

Despite never working under Newsome, Fontenot has long respected his success from afar - and still draws on his approach to maximizing draft capital.

"You look back at the history of his drafts and the things he did, not worrying about reaching for needs and just improving that football team goes a long way," Fontenot said.

The Falcons have a realistic opportunity to select the highest-ranked defensive player on their board, with edge defenders such as Alabama's Dallas Turner, Florida State's Jared Verse and UCLA's Laiatu Latu joining a strong class of corners in the Alabama duo of Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry and Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell.

In essence, Atlanta has options at its positions of need.

Fontenot considers pressure players - be it outside linebackers, defensive ends or defensive tackles - to be a premium. He's also well aware of the dangers that come with reaching on such players.

This awareness has led Atlanta to select the aforementioned trio of first-round offensive weapons in each of Fontenot's first three drafts, and it will continue shaping the team's thought process entering Day 1 of this year's event.

"When you look at the history of drafts, you can look at a lot of times like, 'Okay, we really need a pressure player, so make sure you get that,'" Fontenot said. "But we can look back at drafts where someone reached on a pressure player and left some really good football players on the board at other positions."

The Falcons' brass hasn't spared many secrets. They've expressed interest in adding another quarterback, cornerback and pass rusher, likely all at various points in the draft.

It's not a matter of if, but when, across seven rounds from April 25-27.

Fontenot and Morris will ultimately dictate that answer - but for now, they're still working towards figuring it out themselves.

"Whether it's at eight, higher, lower - whatever it is, we're going to make sure we get an impact player," Fontenot said.