Why did the Falcons hit the defensive front so hard in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Atlanta’s a big believer in length and a big believer in getting their defensive front right.

You would expect a defensive-minded head coach to prioritize defense in the draft, and ultimately, the Falcons sank five of their eight draft picks into that side of the ball. You would expect a head coach, assistant head coach, and defensive coordinator who worked heavily with defensive backs to prioritize acquiring those in the draft, and you would be wrong about that one.

That’s not to say the Falcons didn’t have interest in corners and safeties—Terry Fontenot suggested they tried to move up for a corner in the first round from the second and weren’t able to get it done—but it’s difficult not to notice that four out of the five defensive picks they made were EDGE players or defensive linemen. Considering the Falcons have Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Arnold Ebiketie, and rising second-year player Zach Harrison, that felt like overkill for a great many Falcons fans.

So why did Atlanta do it, then? There are four possible reasons I can think of.

They intend to use those players

Raheem Morris said this himself.

I’ve seen a lot of folks, here and elsewhere, talking about how the Falcons didn’t really add day one starters. I get the criticism, but the reality is that Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, and Bralen Trice are all going to play starter-like snaps in the heavy rotation that’s likely to follow this draft class. If even one injury crops up—a virtual given, when you consider that Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata are older and both LaCale London and Kentavius Street are coming off of significant ones—you could see Orhorhoro or Dorlus picking up a massive number of snaps. They’re going to play, and Trice is probably the second-best pass rushing EDGE on this roster immediately, so he’s definitely going to play.

In short, the Falcons will rotate a lot and now have gone (admittedly overboard) on acquiring insurance for veterans starters and reserves. This is not a case where these players are going to sit in mothballs.

They are betting on the line being a present and future need

This is hand-in-hand with the above, but it seems obvious that the Falcons under Morris don’t think they have many long-term solutions up front. Onyemata and Jarrett are on the wrong side of 30—every time I type that I make myself feel even older—and there aren’t any proven, long-term reserves beyond maybe Ta’Quon Graham. The Falcons will be finding playing time for these players right now, but they will likely badly need them in 2025, and now have obviated the need for a heavy investment in the next couple of years.

They’re more confident in the secondary than they’ve let on

I don’t share this confidence, but perhaps there’s a veteran or two sitting out there the Falcons intend to acquire to bolster this thing and then sew it up. That’s not what earlier comments about suggesting the team would acquire young defensive backs suggests, and it’s not what Terry Fonteont’s comments about potentially trading up for a cornerback suggests, either.

Could I see them talking more about the fact that they just needed a depth piece or two and felt good about Dee Alford, Clark Phillips, DeMarcco Hellams, and so forth? Sure. Do I believe they’re totally satisfied with what they have today, especially after the remarks about trading up? No, and I hope that’s not actually the case, regardless. But it’s not difficult for me to imagine that the line was actually the bigger priority for the team, even if that’s not necessarily how I would’ve spun this thing out.

They just believe in the talent

I’ll talk about this more in the near future, but I feel like this may be the best example of a truly best player available draft class since Terry Fontenot arrived in Atlanta and started talking about that philosophy.

Atlanta very obviously felt that not only was Ruke Orhorhoro the best defensive lineman available at the top of the second round, but that they couldn’t afford to wait for him to fall to them. Bralen Trice filled a need but seemed to Atlanta like the best EDGE they could get without moving, and Dorlus and even Zion Logue clearly stood out at their slots, despite the team having already added help up front. The Falcons could have saved themselves criticism and post-draft scrounging for other position groups by flipping any of those picks to cornerback, wide receiver, or even the offensive line, but they did not do so because of their seemingly unshakeable faith that those linemen were worth it.

The team also clearly focused on a particular type of defender up front, with an emphasis on length that may help to explain why they were particularly focused on the defenders they did pick up.

The goal clearly for Raheem Morris and company is to make the defensive front a true team strength for the Falcons, something that hasn’t regularly been the case for quite some time, and to give them versatility and many options in a year where they’ve declared they have to win. You’re under no obligation to think any of this was a good idea, but if it works as intended, it should at the very least lift this defense in 2024.