Pro Football Focus (PFF) released their pre-draft rankings of all 32 NFL franchises as we await the start of the 2024 NFL draft. The Atlanta Falcons ranked 22nd, despite a complete overhaul of their 26th-ranked offense last season, including the acquisition of quarterback Kirk Cousins, which PFF agrees was the most influential gain for the Falcons this offseason.
Notable teams in front of Atlanta are the Chicago Bears (20th), New Orleans Saints (18th) and Minnesota Vikings (16th).
Biggest loss (PFF WAR): QB Desmond Ridder (0.31 WAR)
Biggest gain (PFF WAR): QB Kirk Cousins (1.94 WAR)
The Falcons added a new franchise quarterback and wide receivers Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud III and Rondale Moore. They have the makings of a very fun offense, but they'll need to add talent to the defensive side of the ball in the draft.
While the quarterback position should no longer be an issue, the onus now shifts to general manager Terry Fontenot, head coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake to shift their focus to building the defense.
Losing defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen to the Jacksonville Jaguars was a big loss to an Atlanta team that fielded a much-improved defensive unit than they had in years past. The Falcons haven't fielded a top-ten defensive unit since 2017, the last time they had made the playoffs.
Atlanta has a chance to take advantage of the unprecedented amount of offensive talent at the top of this draft to build this defense to be competitive as early as next season.