Anterio Thompson described on Apr. 29 how he nearly left football behind in high school before eventually being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. Thompson, who attended Hempstead High School in Dubuque, Iowa, said his head coach Jeff Horner played a key role in convincing him to continue playing the sport.
Thompson’s story highlights how important mentorship and perseverance can be for young athletes. He said, “I was giving up on football at a point in high school. My head coach ended up being one of my advisors, Coach [Jeff] Horner, and he was telling the guys to get me back into football. It was going into my senior year, and I’m not going to lie, if it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I would have been playing football still.”
After earning all-region honors as a defensive tackle in high school, Thompson went on to play at Iowa Western Community College where he became a standout player for the NJCAA Division I champions during his second season. He then spent time at the University of Iowa, Western Michigan University and the University of Washington from 2023-25.
Thompson said that defensive line coach Nate Ollie told him he would fit well with Atlanta’s defensive scheme: “He just outlined my explosiveness, the way I play, the feistiness I play [with]. He just told me, I fit best in his scheme — in their attack scheme — just getting off the ball and just causing havoc.” Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham also praised Thompson’s skills: “He’s sawed off, powerful, explosive, really good hand strength, good instincts,” Cunningham said. “He plays the brand of ball that our defensive staff looks for. He’s powerful. We look forward to bringing him in and helping him add to the group in the run and in the pass game.”
The Atlanta Falcons compete in the National Football League’s NFC South division as an expansion team founded in 1965; they are based in Atlanta and have advanced twice to Super Bowl appearances—in 1998 and 2016—with Freddie the Falcon serving as their mascot according to their official website.
Reflecting on how personal challenges shaped his style of play during high school and college years—especially using football as an outlet—Thompson said: “I’d say it kind of flipped my senior year…football is the only sport where it’s violent and you don’t go to jail for it…that’s when my violence and everything got to this point.” Now joining a defense built around physicality under coach Ollie’s leadership—and after five years refining his approach—Thompson begins his professional career with optimism about making an impact.