SB Nation NFL mock draft: Falcons finally land impact edge rusher Atlanta’s been missing since John Abraham

The Falcons’ 2024 season did not go as they hoped.

After signing Kirk Cousins to a big contract a year ago, they still went on to draft quarterback Michael Penix in the first round. Who’s to say that Cousins was all that affected by the surprise decision by their front office, but the veteran passer didn’t even make it through his first season in Atlanta before being benched for poor performance.

That unfortunate situation was only emphasized by the fact that the Falcons believed they were just a quarterback away from taking that next step thanks to a strong offensive skill group in place

When the offense struggled, it also put more of a spotlight on the struggling defense which — let’s be honest — kind of went through it during Cousins’ five-game stretch of throwing nine interceptions to just one touchdown. That’s a lot of on-field time forced onto your defense.

So with all of that in mind, the Falcons could continue building the offense to provide a comfier situation for their quarterbacks or they could look at the defense and decide this is the side that needs to carry us in 2025.

In the end, Kevin Knight of The Falcoholic chose to roll with the defense by picking Marshall edge rusher Mike Green with the 15th pick in the SB Nation Community Mock Draft.

Knight: The Falcons have needed an impact edge rusher for as long as anyone can remember, and in the 2025 NFL Draft, they finally get one. Mike Green has his flaws, but is among the most dynamic and effective pass rushers in the class. Concerns about his production at Marshall were greatly mitigated after a two-sack performance against Ohio State and a dominant week at the Senior Bowl. Green gives Atlanta potential star power on the outside that they’ve lacked since John Abraham.

Analysis: Green led the nation with 17 sacks and finished second with 22.5 tackles for loss. He was highly productive for the Thundering Herd and showed he could hang with the best of the best at this year’s Reese’s Senior Bowl.

At 6’3 and 251 pounds, Green has adequate size to go with surprising strength (28 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press). His motor runs hot from the first whistle until the last which is a dream for any defensive coordinator. However, draft scouts have noted that he almost runs TOO hot and can find himself gassed earlier than you want.

Sack production tends to translate fairly well from college to the pros so Green’s floor should be relatively high. He’ll pair with Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd to lead the Falcons’ pass rush.

Top five remaining players:

The Falcons got one of the draft’s top defenders in Green. The Cardinals are up next and they’re also a team who could use some more help defensively. Lucky for them, our top four remaining players are all instant-impact defenders.