The Falcons may not have met expectations last season, but their 2025 draft class gave the franchise plenty to feel good about. Terry Fontenot’s final group as general manager turned into the best class of his tenure, producing four starters and two players who finished as Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates.
Xavier Watts sits near the top of that list. The rookie safety didn’t just contribute - he burst onto the scene with five interceptions, including two against eventual league MVP Matthew Stafford. That kind of ball production is hard to ignore, and it’s why Watts is already being viewed as one of the league’s more dangerous young defensive backs.
Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports recently named 50 under-the-radar players who could shape the 2026 NFL season, sorting them into categories like “bounce-back candidates” and “second-year jump.” Watts landed in the latter group, even after a standout first season.
“The 2025 third-round pick notched five interceptions, made 92 tackles and defended 11 passes, finishing fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting,” wrote Pereles. “Watts showed a real knack for finding the football and shined in coverage. Playing alongside Jessie Bates III, Watts is one half of a terrific safety duo.”
That praise carries extra weight because Atlanta has not exactly been a model of third-round success under Fontenot. Watts was the exception, and his arrival came through the Pearce trade, when the Falcons picked up the Rams’ third-round selection and moved up five spots to get him.
There’s still some uncertainty around James Pearce Jr. as he waits on a potential suspension, but Watts, along with Jalon Walker and Billy Bowman Jr., gives Atlanta a young defensive core with real upside. And even though Fontenot is gone, the impact of that final draft class is still set to be felt in 2026.
In Other News...
Falcons Just Ran Into A Costly Divine Deablo Problem
The Falcons have already locked up Drake London and Kyle Pitts on long-term deals, but the next round of contract business is getting trickier. With Bijan Robinson and Divine Deablo still waiting for extensions, Atlanta is staring at a linebacker market that keeps moving, and the latest ripple came from Miami, where Jordyn Brooks reset the price for players at the position.
For Deablo, the timing matters as much as the market. He is entering a contract year and is expected to step into a bigger leadership role for Atlanta, which gives the Falcons a reason to keep him in the fold but also forces them to weigh how much that new responsibility should cost. The team has room to maneuver financially, yet the longer this drags on, the more leverage Deablo could gain before Atlanta decides whether to make a move. [Read more 🡒]
Schefter Just Dropped A Huge Hint About Atlanta's QB Battle
The Falcons quarterback picture has been one of the more closely watched storylines of the offseason, with Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa both in the conversation as the team works through its plans under center. Adam Schefter added another layer to that discussion on his podcast, pointing to the kinds of signals front offices and coaches tend to send when they are leaning one direction, even if the competition is still technically alive.
Penixs recovery remains part of the backdrop, which is why this race has not fully settled into a simple answer yet. Still, the current read around Atlanta is that Tagovailoa has the edge, and the next stretch of the offseason will go a long way toward showing whether the Falcons are truly keeping the door open or already moving toward a more obvious pecking order. [Read more 🡒]
These Falcons Could Finally Get The Recognition Fans Have Wanted
The Falcons head into the 2026 season with more than just an eight-year playoff drought hanging over them. They also have a roster full of players who could finally start getting the kind of league-wide recognition Atlanta fans have been waiting on, from established names like A.J. Terrell and Drake London to younger pieces such as Xavier Watts and Jalon Walker. For a team trying to move from promising to proven, individual honors often become a sign that the broader rebuild is starting to stick.
A.J. Terrell already has the rsum of a top corner, while Divine Deablos impact has shown up when hes been on the field and Watts made a strong first impression as a rookie. Jalon Walker, meanwhile, flashed enough pass-rush production to look like a player whose profile could rise quickly if he stays on track. If the Falcons are going to get back into the postseason conversation, a few first-time Pro Bowl nods would be a good place to start, even if the final step still has to be earned on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]