Things may be quiet in Atlanta with the Falcons having sent players home for the summer, but the calendar keeps rolling and so does the conversation around what comes next. Training camp doesn’t open until July 29, which makes this a natural time to start looking ahead - even all the way to 2027, when Atlanta is set up much differently than it was during a year of bargain-bin free-agent shopping and working through the draft without a first-round pick.
That future is part of the buzz in a new 2027 mock draft from Pro Football Sports Network, which sends the Falcons the sixth overall pick and has them using it on Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone. PFSN draft analyst Alec Elijah described Atlanta as a team that is moving in the right direction but still has work to do on both sides of the ball.
He pointed specifically to the defensive tackle spot, calling it the club’s biggest need and writing, "The Falcons seem to be heading in the right direction, but they still have a few kinks to work out on both sides of the ball," and "Atlanta would be wise to add more core pieces at defensive tackle, as it is their biggest need. Insert, Oklahoma’s David Stone, a true powerhouse in the trenches."
The defensive line also came up in the discussion of Atlanta’s 2027 free agents, a list that includes several important names if they do not get extensions before then. The Falcons already took care of two major offensive pieces by signing Drake London and Kyle Pitts to multi-year extensions, but there are still plenty of players on the board for that offseason. Among the notable names are three offensive linemen, and the group includes several starters the team would have to decide on before the market opens.
There are also some familiar former Falcons still sitting in free agency right now. EDGE Leonard Floyd is the most accomplished of the bunch, and even though his 2025 season did not stand out, he could still be on defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s radar if James Pearce Jr. gets suspended.
Floyd finished last season with 3.5 sacks, marking the first time in five years he ended a season with fewer than 8.5 sacks. The rest of the available ex-Falcons are LB Josh Woods, WR KhaDarel Hodge, WR Malik Heath and OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Elsewhere, rookie Zachariah Branch gave some insight into why he left USC for Georgia before his final season in 2025. Appearing on the St.
Brown Podcast a few weeks ago, Branch pointed to a situation involving a weight-room lawsuit and access to the jugs machine. "I guess they had a lawsuit back then somebody was lifting in the weight room and the weight fell on their chest or their neck," said Branch.
"The jugs machine was only in the weight room, so you know at USC, they got the gate that comes down. So the gate was closed, and I'm like, 'Hey, can I get in there - just let me in to get some jugs or whatever?'
but it was the lawsuit so they couldn't really make any adjustments."
And while Pitts has heard the criticism that he doesn’t care enough, Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger pushed back hard on that idea. Speaking to Josh Kendall at The Athletic, Koger said, "Kyle cares a lot.
People don’t realize how much the game means to him,” Koger said. “He does have a high standard for himself, separate of what people say outside the building.
You want guys who have a high care factor, and he’s right at the top of that list. Sometimes I have to talk him down, but those are the guys you want to coach.”
In Other News...
Falcons Linked To Another QB Idea Fans Will Absolutely Hate
The Falcons are still navigating a quarterback transition that already has plenty of eyes on it, with Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa set to compete for the Week 1 job once training camp opens July 29. For now, Atlanta is trying to sort out which direction gives it the best chance to stabilize the position, and the team is expected to keep evaluating its options after the season as the picture becomes clearer.
Against that backdrop, any new quarterback speculation is going to land with a thud, especially if it points toward a midseason reset. Bleacher Reports Moe Moton floated another possibility for Atlanta if the team is hovering around .500 near the trade deadline, but even that framing came with a strong warning that it would not be the best move for the Falcons. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons May Finally Have A Real Answer For Their Biggest Need
The Falcons biggest roster question still sits inside, where the defensive line has been too light on disruption and too thin in rotation. A recent 2027 mock draft from Pro Football Sports Network tries to answer that by sending Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone to Atlanta, a projection that would give the front seven a much-needed jolt of size and interior presence if things break that way over the next couple of draft cycles.
Stones appeal is obvious for a team looking to reshape the middle of its defense. At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, he has the kind of frame that lets him line up in multiple spots up front, and his production at Oklahoma has already started to match the billing. The Falcons can still use help at receiver around Drake London and Zachariah Branch, but the more immediate hole remains the one in the trenches, where a true answer could change the look of the defense for years. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Legend Just Weighed In On Harold Perkins For A Reason
Jessie Tuggle does not hand out praise lightly, so when the former All-Pro linebacker spoke glowingly about Harold Perkins Jr., it fit the kind of buzz the Falcons have been building around their rookie class. Atlanta took the versatile inside linebacker in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, betting on a player whose stock once looked far higher before a torn ACL altered his path. Even with the injury history, Perkins has kept showing the athleticism and range that made him one of the more intriguing defensive prospects in the class.
For the Falcons, the appeal goes beyond the draft slot. Their defense took a real step forward in 2025 under Jeff Ulbrich, with AJ Terrell and Jessie Bates helping set the tone, and adding another fast, flexible piece to the middle of the field makes sense for a unit trying to keep climbing. Perkins is still in the prove-it stage, but Tuggle's interest is a reminder of why Atlanta took the swing in the first place, and why the next layer of the linebacker rotation is worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]