Falcons rookie ranked among biggest sleepers in 2026 NFL Draft

Regardless of what those around the league thought about the Atlanta Falcons' 2026 NFL Draft class, the team was fighting an uphill battle due to not having a first-round pick. Nonetheless, the Falcons were praised for their Day 2 selections of Avieon Terrell and Zachariah Branch.

That praise quickly didn't last long, though. Draft analysts failed to understand the logic behind the team's Day 3 picks. Atlanta added two versatile linebacker prospects in Oklahoma's Kendal Daniels and LSU's Harold Perkins Jr.

Both players lined up at multiple spots during their collegiate careers, and while the Falcons saw this as a positive, others were put off by their lack of positional clarity.

NFL.com ranked all 32 draft classes and highlighted the biggest sleepers from the 2026 NFL Draft. The Falcons landed all the way down at No. 25 overall, but sixth-round pick Harold Perkins Jr. made the list of sleepers.

"Perkins burst onto the college football scene as a wildly productive true freshman back in 2022, but positional uncertainty and a torn ACL sapped his NFL prospects," wrote NFL.com's Gennaro Filice. "If he can regain his full athletic prowess, can he find a role in an NFL that’s becoming more positionless with each passing year?"

Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has no fear of this perceived lack of positional identity. Last season, Divine Deablo and Kaden Elliss thrived in Ulbrich's scheme. The versatility of these two veteran linebackers was precisely why they fit so well.

With Elliss signing with the New Orleans Saints in free agency, the Falcons had a need for another inside linebacker. Perkins and Daniels should both have a role this season, even if they start the year on special teams.