Giants, Browns and Titans headline nine teams that need to ace their picks this April

There’s hope with the turn to Michael Penix Jr. this season, though he has only made three NFL starts and remains a question until proven otherwise, even with a good offensive structure around him. But it has been a frustrating offseason to this point, coming off the franchise’s seventh straight losing season in 2024. Atlanta released longtime favorite Grady Jarrett and hasn’t made much noise in free agency. 

There’s also the elephant in the quarterback room: Kirk Cousins and his unwieldy salary remaining on the roster, with Penix the anointed starter. It was an awkward situation last season, and it remains so. Could a team such as Cleveland unburden Atlanta of Cousins? Sure, but that might not happen until after the draft, when Cousins — who has a no-trade clause — can see what opportunities exist. Until then, the Falcons are limited with cap space and flexibility. 

That’s why the draft feels like a last hope to add talent before training camp. The Falcons enter with only five selections, two of which are in Round 7. They lack picks in Rounds 3, 5 and 6. Even their first-rounder comes in at No. 15, which doesn’t guarantee they’ll land a ready-made talent.

The biggest issues appear to be on defense (although OT can’t be ignored), and the Falcons risk falling even farther behind the Bucs in the NFC South. Raheem Morris might not be on the hot seat, but this will be a high-pressure draft for GM Terry Fontenot, his fifth in the captain’s chair in Atlanta. The Falcons have hit on some of their higher picks, but it’s been a bit of a mixed bag after that.