PFF doesn't like Falcons' draft picks, with one exception

It stinks. That seems to be the consesus of the critics regarding the Atlanta Falcons' haul in the 2026 NFL draft, which earned them the sixth-lowest GPA in the league.

Having no first-round pick was an undeniable bummer, and seems to be a big reason why many analysts don't like what the Falcons did this past weekend. There are also some consistent points of contention about Atlanta's early picks.

For example, Pro Football Focus only gave the Falcons a C+ grade for their picks. They singled out Avieon Terrell for his lack of length and Zachariah Branch for relying too much on speed. One exception to the rule was the Falcons' fourth-round pick, Oklahoma linebacker Kendal Daniels. Here's what they had to say about that selection.

"Daniels brings extensive experience, as he logged four consecutive seasons with at least 500 defensive snaps, including three at Oklahoma State and one at Oklahoma. He is coming off a career-best 77.5 PFF grade in 2025, with marks above 75.0 in both run defense and coverage. A safety-to-linebacker convert, he offers appealing size at 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds along with range, as shown by a 4.47 40-yard dash."

It's too early in the game to project Daniels' role as a rookie with any certainty. However, there's a good chance that the Falcons front office sees him as their middle linebacker of the future.

Daniels filled up the box score in every conceivable way in college. He put in four years at Oklahoma State, followed by one at Oklahoma. All together he appeared in 53 games, putting up 293 combined tackles (31.5 for a loss), 7.5 sacks, five interceptions, 16 pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Finding a competent inside linebacker was one of the biggest needs for Atlanta coming into the draft - and Daniels may turn out to be the x-factor in deciding just how good this class really is.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: