Five College Football Players for Falcons to watch in Week 1

Clint Goss

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Five College Football Players for Falcons to watch in Week 1 image

Thanks, Pee Wee, college football says Good Morning. Week 1 (Week 0?) begins August 24th with a plethora of players to know relating to and projecting the Atlanta Falcons’ 2025 NFL Draft. 

7-10, 7-10, 7-10. The 8th pick is a concrete slab of a floor for the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

  • Desmond Ridder is gone. QB Kirk Cousins & QB Michael Penix Jr. are here. 
  • Arthur Smith is gone. HC Raheem Morris and OC Zac Robinson are here. 
  • SS Justin Simmons, OLB Matthew Judon, and WR Darnell Mooney are blindingly blatant upgrades over their predecessors. 

We will project a few Week 1 players relevant to the back half (#16-32 of each round) for the Atlanta Falcons to get you started this College Football season. 

What Are the Atlanta Falcons’ Current 2025 NFL Draft Selections?

  • Round 1
  • Round 2
  • Round 4
  • Round 5
  • Round 7 (from LAR)

Where Did Some of the Original Atlanta Falcons Draft Picks Go?

  • Traded a 3rd Rounder to New England for OLB Matthew Judon.
  • 6th Rounder went to LAR in a swap (see above)
  • Traded a 7th Rounder to Philadelphia for DT Kentavius Street. 

Falcons GM Terry Fontenot’s 3rd Rounds

♦️21 - Jalen Mayfield (68th) ❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌

♦️22 - Desmond Ridder (74th) ❌❌❌❌❌❌              

♦️22 - DeAngelo Malone (82nd) (ST)

♦️23- Zach Harrison (75th) ✅

♦️24- Bralen Trice (74th)❓*

Trice was projected to be a W in 2024 before his injury in Week 1. Regardless, with that hit rate, catch me putting my arm around Matt Judon.

*The 79th pick was traded to get DT Ruke Orhorhoro.

Projected Needs:

CB, WR, OT, Pass Rusher

*(Pass Rusher specific article will be the next one next week at Sporting News) 

  • Junior
  • 6’4, 195 
  • Age on Draft night: 20

Davis’s high-level hips & backpedal paired with this lengthy height (97th+ percentile) …he’s going Round 1.

The body habitus similarly translates to the stat sheet, with 4 INTs & 15 PBUs in 2023. 

Cut on the tape and see multiple “shoulda, woulda, coulda” interceptions the young player can improve on in 2024. Imagine the tape we don’t see of Tacario getting Mondays with WR Tetairoa McMillan….

  • Senior 
  • 6’1, 194 
  • Age on Draft night: 22 

I had a mid-late 2nd-round grade on 35-game starter Denzel Burke for the 2024 NFL Draft. As a primary Outside Zone CB, he fits the new Jimmy Lake Off-Man Zone 3-4 scheme.

Burke claims a Columbus return aiming for the Top 10 picks. While I don’t see that happening, mid-late 1st is doable by improving his press-man coverage and tackling physicality.

In a market featuring Will Johnson, Benjamin Morrison, Travis Hunter, etc., Burke can be there in the 20s-30s. 

  • Redshirt Sophomore
  • 6’2, 210 
  • Age on Draft Night: 21

Preface all this 2023 production (RS Fr.) from WR Elic Ayomanor by saying he tore every ligament in his knee in 2022 and redshirted.

Ayomanor’s night against Travis Hunter & Deion Sanders on October 13th (Yes, it was Friday)

  • 13 receptions
  • 294 receiving yards (22.6 avg)
  • 3 touchdowns

Spooky!

Returning to his 22.6 YPC average against Travis Hunter, Ayomanor ran an NFL route tree all year with his sub 10.7 100M and nasty release package on his way to a 1,000-yard season. 

The most fun part though? He is physical as hell and will bury people with his size. Smaller corners are getting bullied. Give Ayomanor another healthy year…the scouts are already asking around Stanford. He has Round 1 potential and is not getting out of Round 2. 

  • Junior 
  • 5’11, 202
  • Age on Draft Night: 21

A 10.51 100M 6-A State Champion out of Buford High School, my Dawgs & I wanted Bond. Isaiah Bond. Bad. 

Now Texas has dropped a coupled 00s (Okay, I am done) and brought his ability to, how do they say, haul ass, to Steve Sarkisian’s Austin. 

Whether it is outside wide as an X or inside in the slot, deceleration will not be found in and out of routes while Bond changes direction. The speed is translatable to an NFL route tree, not gimmicky, having turned in over 35% of his catches being 15+ yards. Zac Robinson’s 11 personnel usage (2nd in the NFL in 2024 thus far only to his previous employer the Los Angeles Rams) says hello. 

  • Senior 
  • 6’6, 336
  • Age on Draft Night: 23

Left Tackle Jake Matthews might play until he’s 40 like his Daddy, Grade A HOF Bruce. Consider that so, project a tackle with swing ability to counter RT Kaleb McGary’s future and Matthews’s aging. Side note, be pleased with swing OT Storm Norton through preseason in his role. 

Belton, also known as “Escalade”, is a LT with 21 starts since replacing 6th overall pick Icky Ekwonu. Of the five players on this list, Belton has the widest projected Draft range and I see fun in that. ESPN’s Matt Miller recently had Belton 31st to the Chiefs in a projected big year at NC State.

“Despite how well the Chiefs have put together and managed their roster, there's a lack of answers at offensive tackle. The Kingsley Suamataia pick in the second round likely solves one tackle spot, potentially replacing right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who struggled last season. Belton, a two-year starter at left tackle, allowed one sack last year and wows with his easy movement at 6-5 and 345 pounds. If the Chiefs like Suamataia on the right side (where most scouts pegged him pre-draft), then Belton could fit well at left tackle to give Patrick Mahomes more time in the pocket.”

 Others are being more patient and have Belton comfortably on Day 2. 

Clint Goss

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Clint Goss is a Falcons and NFL writer, as well as the the on-air co-host of The Falcon Fade radio show at 99.1 WDJY and lead NFL Draft Analyst for Stadium Rant. He is a Rhetoric graduate of Georgia College & State University. A Roswell resident, find Clint at Mercedes-Benz Stadium every Sunday. You can follow Clint actively on Twitter/X @NFLDraftDome.