Falcons find themselves near bottom of 2026 NFL draft power rankings

The Atlanta Falcons have time to figure things out, but that the moment the 2026 roster is in disarray. Nobody knows who will be starting Week 1 at quarterback, their free agency haul is one of the most underwhelming in the league and they have just five picks to make in the 2026 NFL draft, with only one at the bottom of the top 50 overall.

The long-mismanaged New Orleans Saints are still in worse shape. However, there's a significant gap between Atlanta and Tampa and Carolina, who went down to the wire to decide the NFC South last season.

According to an analysis by CBS Sports, only one team is in worse shape than the Falcons going into the draft. Jordan Dajani has Atlanta placed No. 31 in his new NFL draft power rankings, which combined total draft capital with front office DNA and roster urgency.

"The Falcons have a brand-new front office, with former quarterback Matt Ryan serving as the "president of football" and Ian Cunningham as general manager. You could argue we'll learn their team-building philosophy during this first draft, but with only five picks, what exactly are we expecting? Atlanta wasn't aggressive in free agency. In fact, its two most expensive additions were kicker Nick Folk and punter Jake Bailey.

Truth hurts, and it's difficult to deny that Atlanta is in a bad position going in.

The good news is that the Falcons can always trade down to accumulate more picks and more capital, but that's never a guarantee that they'll come out with real talent - especially since they're trading down from a low spot to begin with.

On the bright side, if Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan can produce a strong draft class with the poor hand they've been dealt, it will be an excellent sign for their future running the franchise.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: