The Atlanta Falcons will approach the first round of the NFL Draft on Apr. 22 as a valuable rehearsal, even though they do not have a selection until Day 2. This marks the first draft for Ian Cunningham as general manager and Kevin Stefanski as head coach.
Although the Falcons lack a first-round pick, Cunningham said during his pre-draft press conference that he is considering using Thursday night as a simulation exercise. “I’ve been thinking about this. I don’t know if we’ll do it, but just kind of trying to get a dry run of like what would it have been like,” Cunningham said. “We’re on the clock at [pick No.] 13, to try to get an extra rep at it maybe. So, just trying to find some little things that we may be able to do to kind of stay engaged, but also to get some practice. But it’ll be fun. We’ll be there, we’ll be watching, and we’ll be prepared for 48.”
Draft preparation has involved close collaboration between coaching staff, scouts and analytics experts since Stefanski and Cunningham joined the team earlier this year. These discussions have focused on identifying both positions and specific traits needed by Atlanta’s roster.
Stefanski described his enjoyment in working with coaches during these evaluations: “One of my most fun parts for me in this process is when we sit in the draft room and bring the coaches in and read through our players, and that’s the fun debate because it is eye [of the] beholder… Those are the fun discussions that you have.” He added: “Where we are as an organization with Ian, myself, the coaches, we all want to push each other and support each other… To give him a picture of the role of the player on our team.”
As teams make selections quickly during draft weekend—and unexpected moves can require rapid adjustments—Cunningham said advanced planning remains crucial but acknowledged that flexibility will still play an important role once drafting begins.
The Falcons compete in the National Football League’s NFC South division according to their official website. The franchise began as an expansion team in 1965 according to their official website and is based in Atlanta, Georgia according to their official website. The club reached Super Bowls twice—in 1998 and again in 2016—and Freddie the Falcon serves as its mascot according to their official website.
Looking ahead at this year’s event—even without a Day One selection—Cunningham expressed confidence: “At this point, we already have a feel for – we know our sequence. We know the players that we like,” he said. “We know the players that we’re kind of targeting at different spots. It’s about finding alignment. And when it’s time to pull the trigger, we’ll pull the trigger.”