When the 2024 NFL Draft reached pick No. 8 overall, the Atlanta Falcons had their choice at the class’s top defensive players.
But instead of trading back and addressing question marks along the defensive line or in the secondary, Atlanta chose to quell any future concerns at quarterback, selecting Washington signal caller Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons used their next three picks – four of their final seven overall – to bolster their pass rush but failed to add competition to a cornerbacks room littered with uncertainty after starter A.J. Terrell.
And according to general manager Terry Fontenot, walking out of the draft empty handed at corner isn’t necessarily what the Falcons set out to do.
“We would have liked to add that position,” Fontenot said. “And yet you don’t want to force or reach or do something that you shouldn’t. So, we had guys –- obviously, we tried to get back in the first (round). It could have been a corner.
“And then you continue to go through the draft, and it just depends.”
The Falcons’ initial trade-up phone calls centered around pass rushers, with head coach Raheem Morris telling NFL Network’s Steve Wyche the team wanted UCLA edge Laiatu Latu, who went No. 15 overall to the Indianapolis Colts.
But the first cornerback didn’t come off the board until No. 22 overall, when the Philadelphia Eagles selected Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell. Two picks later, the Detroit Lions nabbed Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, officially taking the class’s top two corners off the market.
Atlanta had its chances on Day 2 to add other highly touted defensive backs, trading up from No. 43 to No. 35 with the Arizona Cardinals – but instead of taking Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry or Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, the Falcons took Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro.
The run on cornerbacks started soon after. Four cornerbacks were taken successively from picks No. 40 through 43 starting with DeJean,
Fontenot said the Falcons wanted to add size, youth and pass rushers to their defensive line, and he believes they did that. Had the board fallen differently, they would’ve pivoted to other positions, be it cornerback or offensive line.
But ultimately, Atlanta found itself in position to address the trenches, and it capitalized – and Fontenot has no regrets about the process behind the result.
“You don’t want to force it,” Fontenot said. “You don’t want to reach in the draft. You want a clear vision for the players you bring in. Didn’t work out at corner, but we’ll continue to look.”
Morris noted the Falcons signed a pair of cornerbacks this spring in Antonio Hamilton and Kevin King, and he singled out several returners behind Terrell in Clark Phillips III, Mike Hughes, Dee Alford and Natrone Brooks.
At the league owners meetings in March, Morris said Hughes was a pleasant surprise on film and the 5-10, 183-pound Phillips impressed working both inside and outside. Morris dubbed Alford as a nickel corner but also feels he can play safety if needed.
Thus, while the Falcons’ eight-man draft class is void of defensive backs, Morris is unconcerned.
“We feel really good about a lot of those things,” Morris said.
Still, Atlanta’s not definitively done adding to its secondary.
Options exist to add players. The Falcons have just $5.7 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap, and still need to sign their draft class, but there are pathways to external acquisitions.
And Fontenot, a former defensive back of his own at Tulane, plans on exploring every option all the way up to kickoff in September.
“We’ll definitely continue to look at it,” Fontenot said. “It’s 24/7, 365. Once the draft ends, whether we’re talking about a possible trade, whether we’re talking about signing another player – that goes right up into the season. We’re always going to look at opportunities.”
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