Falcons finalize eight player 2024 NFL Draft class

Atlanta unveils a draft class that addresses immediate needs and places a big bet on the future.

The Atlanta Falcons had to infuse their roster with talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They took a twisty, unexpected road through this draft class, but it’s difficult to argue with the notion that they’ve done just that.

The team got their quarterback of the future with Michael Penix, loaded up their defensive front with young talent in the form of Ruke Orhorhoro, Bralen Trice, Brandon Dorlus, and Zion Logue, and added depth pieces to the offense with wide receiver Casey Washington and running back Jase McClellan. Most of those players will be expected to contribute at least a little right away—Orhorhoro, Trice, and Dorlus probably significantly—but this was also a class with an eye on bringing in players who can develop for the 2025 and beyond Falcons. We’ll hope it pays off for an Atlanta team intent on contending now and continuing to contend in the years to come.

Here’s the full class.

Pick 8: QB Michael Penix, Washington

The selection that will define the success of the 2024 NFL Draft in the minds of many, Penix is unlikely to pay off immediately. The question is whether he will pay off at all, but the Falcons’ staggering confidence that he will is one of the stories of the week.

The Falcons, after all, gave Kirk Cousins a massive four-year deal (it’s really a 2-to-3 year pact, given the way the cap hits shake out) to try to win now after six straight losing seasons. Penix is the player they want to take over the job in two or three seasons and be available if something happens, and the southpaw quarterback offers the arm, smarts, and upside the team wants. They’ll put a coaching staff filled with quarterback-centric mentors to work ironing out his shakiness outside of the pocket and over the middle of the field and count on that staff and Penix’s natural talent to make him one of the better quarterbacks in football, age and injury history be damned. The ability is, in this humble blogger’s opinion, unquestionably there.

We have no idea if it will work out, and it will be a questioned and maligned pick until it does. But the Falcons’ faith in Penix is something to behold, and if it pays off and he’s a franchise guy when the team is ready to move on from Cousins, little else will matter.

Pick 35: DL Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson

Another controversial selection, though less so than Penix, Orhorhoro was questioned because of the players he was picked ahead of and because of the third rounder the Falcons traded away to go up and get him (they did get a late pick back). The talent and potential are not really in question, however.

Orhorhoro is a tremendous athlete, a strong and tenacious defender, and a polished player against the run right now. His college production, limited as it is, suggests there’s a disruptive pass rusher in there if he can unlock his potential, but day one he’s a 20-30 snap player in the team’s defensive line rotation who can impact the game. By 2025, when the Falcons will likely move on from at least one of their 30-plus starters, Orhorhorho is likely to be counted up as one of the team’s featured players up front.

The question is whether he can realize that potential as a pass rusher, but there’s a bright future and a quality present here for a player the Falcons clearly zeroed in on. Whether he can take the great Clemson-forged defensive lineman baton from Grady Jarrett will be something we’ll watch closely.

Pick 74: EDGE Bralen Trice, Washington

Atlanta went back to the Washington well to get Michael Penix’s college teammate and a player coached by former Washington coach and current Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake.

Trice was an extremely productive college pass rusher, leading college football in pressures over the past two seasons, and is a strong, polished player who knows how to hand-fight his way past tackles and can turn on the jets to get to the quarterback. He’s not an elite athlete or a player that figures to become this team’s next great pass rusher, but Trice has the skill and necessary level of refinement already to be an immediate contributor. I like his chances of vying for the team lead in sacks, which is as much a testament to his skill as it is a concession to what the Falcons have on hand.

Pick 109: DL Brandon Dorlus, Oregon

Atlanta continued to attack its needs along the defensive front with Dorlus, a player draft analysts both inside and outside this fanbase fell in love with. Dorlus is a tank on bicycle wheels, a player who can play inside and will likely get some run at defensive end and even EDGE. Pro Football Focus noted that he leads all defensive tackles in pressures since 2021, so there’s ability and upside as a pass rusher here that should help the Falcons as they seek to transform and augment their front.

Dorlus will be pegged as a bit of a tweener with his size and isn’t a plus run defender just yet, but there’s a toolkit to become a more complete defender. We’re going to love the ability and relentlessness he brings as a pursuer of quarterbacks right out of the gate, though, and the Falcons suddenly have a defensive line that mixes quality veterans with promising young pieces in a way they haven’t in years.

Pick 143: LB JD Bertrand, Notre Dame

A Georgia native, Bertrand will be the team’s fourth inside linebacker of the moment and will likely be asked to play a large and immediate role on special teams. He’s a capable tackler with good instincts who needs work to improve in coverage and his ability to work his way through and around blockers, but he’ll have the luxury of developing behind three more established players at the position.

Long-term, Bertrand figures to be a backup and really good special teams player if all goes well. It’s not a big upside pick—I’d be surprised if Bertrand becomes a starting-caliber player—but the hope is that he’s a high floor addition who provides depth at a position where Troy Andersen is no lock to be a healthy, high-end starter, and a valuable addition for special teams coordinator Marquice Williams.

Pick 186: RB Jase McClellan, Alabama

Avery Williams and Ray-Ray McCloud figure to be able to pick up some carries—and Rondale Moore almost certainly will—but the Falcons clearly felt that they didn’t have a true third running back on the roster. McClellan is likely to be that guy.

It’s a nice late pickup for Atlanta, because while McClellan lacks standout traits, he comes into the league as a fairly polished blocker, a physical runner who had a nose for the end zone, and a fairly advanced pass catcher for the running back position. In a pinch he should be able to provide quality work for Atlanta, making him the kind of well-rounded depth the Falcons certainly can always use more of.

Pick 187: WR Casey Washington, Illinois

The Falcons focused on adding speed to their wide receiver corps this offseason, so Washington is a bit of a change of pace. Quick but not lightning fast, a solid route runner but not a superlative one, and a player with excellent hands and a little bit of yards after the catch potential, Washington profiles as a solid all-around reserve who could grow into a consistent special teamer and reliable pass-catching option in a pinch for Atlanta. Where he’ll become a little more intriguing is 2025, when several of the team’s depth options are set to hit free agency, especially if Washington turns in a solid rookie season for the Falcons.

Pick 197: DT Zion Logue, Georgia

The Falcons finished off their 2024 draft class with another depth piece for the defensive line. Logue is big, strong, and a useful player against the run right away, and he’ll likely carve out a small early down role in the early going in this team’s rotation. If he can develop further, especially in terms of how he uses that size and strength and how he approaches challenges from blockers, he could become a more well-rounded player and a key reserve for the Falcons down the line.

That’s your class. What do you think of it?