The Falcons’ wide receiver room looks a lot different than it did a year ago, and that opening has created a real opportunity for Vinny Anthony II.
Atlanta entered the 2025 season leaning on Drake London and Darnell Mooney, but injuries hit both receivers for much of the year. Since then, the Falcons have moved on from Mooney, locked up London with a four-year extension, and gone to work adding competition around them.
That push included Olamide Zaccheaus, Jahan Dotson and third-round pick Zachariah Branch in the 2026 NFL Draft. Atlanta also brought in three undrafted free agent receivers, and each one has a legitimate path to the 53-man roster if he can stand out in camp.
Anthony is one of those names worth watching. The former Wisconsin receiver is coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 31 passes for 391 yards and one touchdown. His 2024 production was stronger - 39 catches, 672 receiving yards and four touchdowns - and over four seasons with the Badgers he finished with 80 receptions for 1,162 yards and five scores.
What gives Anthony a chance in Atlanta is not just the receiving résumé. He can help in the slot, where the Falcons need more competition, and he also brings kick return value. At Wisconsin, he piled up 1,075 career kick return yards and scored one touchdown on special teams.
The Falcons also guaranteed Anthony $265,000 to sign, a detail that likely helps his odds when roster decisions come due.
There’s also a belief from some NFL scouts that his game may translate better at the next level than it did in college. As Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote: "Anthony is an undersized target with underwhelming college production, but the foot quickness, ball skills and level of detail in his routes suggest his best football will come in an NFL offense," wrote The Athletic's Dane Brugler. "He projects best inside, despite most of his college reps having come on the outside."
Anthony is part of a larger group of Falcons camp names to keep an eye on, alongside QB Jack Strand, RB Cash Jones, WR Zachariah Branch and WR Keelan Marion.
The team is set to return to Flowery Branch for training camp on July 24 for rookies and July 28 for veterans. Open practices run July 31 through Aug. 20, including joint practices with the Colts in Indianapolis on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20.
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For the Falcons, the bigger point is that the clip was never just a social media novelty. Branch has continued to train at eye-catching speeds as he prepares for camp, and Atlanta is planning to use him as both a receiver and a return man. In a league that never stops chasing speed, Branchs challenge now is turning the fascination around his wheels into a role that matters once the games start. [Read more 🡒]