FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons’ preparations for the 2025 NFL Draft have been finalized, though changes could still occur before the selection at No. 15 overall during the first round on Thursday evening.
“We feel good about all the work that’s gone into it,” Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot stated during his pre-draft press conference. “But you always want to watch another game. You always want to make one more phone call. You always want to dig a little bit deeper into things. I think, when you have that kind of mindset, you just want to keep doing more, more and more.”
According to Fontenot, the draft represents a continuous year-long effort culminating in the three-day event and subsequent undrafted free agency. Despite ultimately making the final decision, Fontenot noted that the entire organization plays a role in the selection process.
“It starts with the college scouts,” Fontenot explained. “They’re the first boots on the ground. They gather a lot of intel and a lot of information from a lot of sources, and they go through that. I’m not going to get into all the specifics of how we go about gathering information, but then you have background checks. There’s a lot of layers to that.”
Fontenot highlighted the comprehensive process involved in evaluating players, which includes thorough medical and character assessments, beyond their on-field performances. Each year, some players are not considered for selection due to medical or character issues, despite their athletic potential.
“It’s sad when you go through it, that hey, this player,” Fontenot remarked. “When you get that list sometime after the combine, you have that medical meeting, and you see some players that you actually can’t draft because of the medical. It’s the same process with the character. You go through it, there’s character flags that we discuss, and there’s players that we wouldn’t bring in the building because of those things. But it’s a very detailed thorough process. We take it seriously.”
The draft is an important event for teams, serving as a means to incorporate new talent with expectations of growing into seasoned players, thereby securing the future of the franchise. Fontenot emphasized that despite expert predictions, only those within the organization are privy to the final draft board.
“You have the board set,” Fontenot concluded. “But the hay is never in the barn.”
