The Atlanta Falcons have serious question marks on the defensive side of the ball headed into the 2025 season as evidenced by the fact that they spent two first-round draft picks on that side of the ball in April. However, they are very strong on offense (depending on Michael Penix of course) and ranked No. 9 on ESPN’s recent “Ranking NFL WR, TE, RB groups for 2025: Best and worst teams” list.
After two straight years of ranking No. 10 on this list, the Falcons were finally able to move up a spot.
“The Falcons are batting 1.5 out of 3 on their top-10 picks at the skill positions,” writes Bill Barnwell. “Finally freed of coach Arthur Smith, 2022 No. 8 pick Drake London was installed as the primary receiver in a pass-friendly offense and lived up to expectations; his 2.4 yards per route run ranked 11th in the league among qualifying receivers.
“Darnell Mooney, also shifting from a dismal passing attack to what was a competent one for most of the season, ranked 29th by the same metric, settling in as a high-end second wideout.”
Mooney probably won’t get the credit he deserves in this group, but he’s an explosive player that can create problems if otherwise left unattended.
Bijan Robinson is the running back group
When the Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson out of the University of Texas, it was for him to be a three-down back. After just an okay rookie season, Robinson has been every bit of that, even if the Falcons over-hyped him a bit.
“Bijan Robinson, the No. 8 pick in 2023, has been very good, but the idea that he was going to be a position-transcendent playmaker turned out to be draft hype,” Barnwell continues. “I’m not evaluating players versus their draft pedigree or the opportunity cost of taking a running back for these rankings, but strictly evaluated versus other backs, Robinson has been stellar, ranking seventh in RYOE among backs over the past two seasons.
“After fumbling four times as a rookie, he fumbled just once on 365 touches last season, another positive step. The one thing that’s missing is big plays: Robinson didn’t have a single gain of more than 40 yards last season, which seems impossible for a player who had five of those in his final college season. We should see more of them in 2025.”
Robinson is well aware of his lack of big, chunk plays and has been working to address that this offseason.
“We’re done with 30-yard runs and all that stuff,” Robinson said last month. “Now it’s time to get those 60 yards, 50 yards. So, I’ve been doing a lot more explosive drills. I’ve been doing a lot more running — 100 yards, like sprinting — so we can be prepared for, God willing, when those moments come in all the games.”
There is a dropoff at tight end
What else can be said about the situation of tight end Kyle Pitts? He was drafted fourth overall in 2021, hasn’t lived up to expectations and has been the subject of trade talk the entire offseason.
“As for the third member of that top-10 class … he had more receiving touchdowns than Trey McBride!,” Barnwell concludes. “Kyle Pitts, the No. 4 pick in 2021, has fallen out of favor in Atlanta, owing both to concerns about his work as a blocker and his lack of impact as a receiver. It’s fine to be a mediocre blocker if a player is racking up 1,000-yard receiving campaigns, as Pitts did during his fine rookie season in 2021. When he’s topping out around 600 receiving yards a year and ranks 22nd in yards per route run among qualifying tight ends, the organization isn’t going to be desperate to find him playing time. Pitts is still only 24 — and young tight ends sometimes take years to develop before figuring things out elsewhere (Greg Olsen is an example) — but it would be a surprise if he’s part of this Falcons discussion in 2026.”
A productive Pitts – along with a competent Penix – could vault this group into the top five in the NFL.
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