Campbell was initially recruited to play on the edge at Alabama, but he developed an all-around game that could make the Falcons quite happy if he's available here. This SEC star should prove himself to be an apt blitzer in the NFL and he will use his speed to track down ball-carriers before they hit the sideline.

Linebackers are treated like running backs in drafts, and it's led to plenty of teams getting very good players at a discount. The Falcons have to address their pass rush in the draft, but they could use help at LB too, and there will be other good pass-rushers available in the second. I don't know if there will be an LB like Jihaad Campbell available.

Walker heads right down the road from Athens to bring his infectious play to a defense badly needing some juice. Any defensive position makes sense for the Falcons here, and while Walker is a bit of a 'tweener between off-ball linebacker and pass rusher, the Falcons need both. Just get him into this front seven.

Best Pick: It was their first pick, edge Jalon Walker. He was considered a top-10 selection by some, yet ended up going 15. He can do a lot of things, which they will love on their defense.

Worst Pick: It's not that edge James Pearce Jr. is a bad player. In fact, I think he has top-10 talent. But there were some character concerns and they gave up a bunch to trade up and get him, including a 2026 first-round pick. Pearce has the burst off the edge, which can make him a star.

The Skinny: They were bold on the first day, adding two speedy edge players who can liven up the pass rush. Walker came with the 15th pick and then adding Pearce was another big move. The draft will be defined by Pearce. If he plays to his top-10 talent, they nailed it. They also took two safeties, which they needed to do.

Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, cornerback and defensive tackle

The Falcons had 31 sacks last season, more than just one other team (New England). In fact, since 2019, they have 169 total sacks, 30 fewer than any other team, according to ESPN Research. They added Leonard Floyd and Morgan Fox in free agency, but look at their depth chart: Do any of those predraft pass rushers scare you?

That's why I -- and pretty much every other draft analyst -- had connected them with the edge rushers in Round 1. They had to come away from this draft with talent for new coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to work with, despite having only five total picks and two in the top 100. They found value at No. 15, too. Jalon Walker was 10th on my board. I graded him as an off-ball linebacker -- he has the sideline-to-sideline speed to be a factor there -- but Atlanta is going to run him off the edge. Walker blasts into the backfield with his explosion and bend, and he had 11.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Good start!

It was short-lived, though. Atlanta wasn't satisfied and added another edge rusher 11 picks later. It had to trade up to get James Pearce Jr., and while his traits are undeniable, the value was suspect. Among the shuffled picks in the deal with the Rams, the Falcons coughed up a 2026 first-rounder to jump from No. 46 all the way up into Round 1. Hindsight is 20-20, but Donovan Ezeiruaku (No. 23 overall) had a higher grade than Pearce (No. 34) on my board and didn't go until No. 44. I can't knock throwing everything at the pass rush, but Atlanta reached here. And it gave up too much to do so.

I had cornerback as the second-biggest need behind edge, but interestingly, the Falcons went hard at safety. Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. are both ball hawks. Since the start of the 2023 season, Watts led the FBS with 13 interceptions, and Bowman tied for seventh with eight. Atlanta signed Jordan Fuller to slot next to Jessie Bates III, but Watts and Bowman will provide depth. Neither Fuller nor Bates is signed beyond 2026.

The Falcons used their first four picks on the defensive side of the ball for the first time since 2009. I just wish one of them went to the cornerback group and maybe one of them was directed at defensive tackle. But the real hit -- the key reason I have Atlanta this "C" -- was trading away the 2026 first-rounder.