19. Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
You can’t blame Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot for trying to kill his team’s need at the quarterback position with fire this offseason. The Falcons spent $180 million to get Kirk Cousins in free agency before making the most shocking selection in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft, taking Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick.
The decision to pass on the top pass rushers in the 2024 Draft class might have hurt the Falcons in the short term considering they’ve had one of the worst pass rushes in the entire NFL this year.
If they could somehow sneak into the postseason this year and win the NFC South, it would at least ease the pain of not having the pass rush department figured out just yet. And getting a stud like James Pearce Jr. – who has been 1st overall in some of our 2025 NFL mock draft predictions – would be even sweeter.
20. Denver Broncos: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
When you look at the success the Denver Broncos are having this season (8-5 heading into their Week 14 bye), it’s even more staggering when you consider the skill position players they are doing it with. Especially with a lack of pass game production by the tight end position, the Broncos’ offensive resurgence in the last two months under Sean Payton and Bo Nix has been wild.
The Broncos cut former third-round pick Greg Dulcich a couple of weeks ago and officially decided to throw in the towel there, so what can be done? Well, it just so happens that there are a couple of intriguing options at tight end in the first round of this draft class in Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland. It’ll be up to the Denver coaching staff to figure out which player best fits the “joker” role in Payton’s offense.
Warren has gotten so much unique usage in the Penn State offense that you can’t help but feel like he’s going to be very high on Denver’s 2025 NFL Draft board.