FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Ian Cunningham is heading into his first NFL Draft as the Atlanta Falcons general manager without a first-round pick. Yet in another sense the first-time GM will indeed be in the mix when the Los Angeles Rams – who obtained the choice from Atlanta last year – turn in their card for the 13th pick overall Thursday night.
“I’ve been thinking about this, trying to get a dry run, like what would it have been like,” Cunningham said Monday during the team’s pre-draft press conference.
“‘We’re on the clock at 13,’ to try to get an extra rep at it, maybe. So, just trying to find some little things that we may be able to do to kind of stay engaged. But also, you get some practice.”
Now that’s a different twist for a mock draft. The GM getting mental reps. Imagine who you could have had.
Of course, there’s nothing like the real thing. Barring a trade, the Falcons won’t make a selection until halfway through the second round Friday night, when they are pegged to pick 48th overall. What a long wait.
“We’ll be here,” chimed in Kevin Stefanski, the new Falcons coach, alongside Cunningham.
The Falcons, one of six teams without a first-round pick, have just five picks overall in the draft with choices in the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh rounds. At least as it stands now. Although Cunningham, 40, is mindful that he doesn’t have much capital in this year’s draft to include in trade offers, he won’t rule out deals to acquire more picks or even work his way into the first round.
In 2022, when Cunningham was assistant GM, the Chicago Bears entered the draft with five picks and left with 11 selections. Before that, he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles staff that worked with just five draft picks in both 2018 and 2019.
“So, we’ve been in both situations,” Cunningham said. “We’re comfortable sitting and waiting and taking five players that are going to help us now and in the future. We’re really excited about the opportunity.
“On Thursday, we’ll be watching and we’ll see what may happen. Who knows? But we’re excited.”
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It’s just the Falcons luck – and another hard knock for a franchise that has a streak of eight seasons without a winning record or playoff berth – that the player the previous regime drafted last year with the extra first-round pick obtained from the Rams is embroiled in a legal situation that threatens his NFL career.
James Pearce Jr., who led NFL rookies with 10 ½ sacks in 2025, is facing three felony charges stemming from a Feb. 7 domestic incident involving his former girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson. Pending the outcome of two hearings this week, Pearce – who is not participating in Phase 1 of the Falcons offseason program – could face trial on May 4.
Neither the coach or GM would address Pearce’s status on Monday. Said Cunningham: “Everything’s status quo.”
Undoubtedly, Pearce’s predicament weighs on the Falcons draft. Pearce, an outside linebacker, was a finalist for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2025 that went to Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger. That the Falcons (then headed by GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris) were aggressive in last year’s draft by obtaining a second first-round pick has backfired.
Yet it also underscores an option – trading away a future first-round pick – that Cunningham could employ if tempted to trade into the first round on Thursday or higher in the second round on Friday. The needs include linebacker, defensive tackle and wide receiver. Without much ammunition to offer from this year’s picks, it will take some creativity if Atlanta targets a player who can be had at a desirable spot.
“There’s ways,” Cunningham allowed. “We’ve been going through some of those scenarios, trying to find value, right? Value of certain players, prospects, positions, internally. So, we’ll have some of those conversations, whether or not we want to trade up to go get that player. But not having a lot of draft picks this year, there’s other methods that you can go to, if there’s a player that you highly love.”
Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio StateOn a defense already dotted with stars, Reese rose from an occasional contributor to a bona fide star in his first full season as a starter. The 6-4, 241-pound linebacker exhibited uncommon fluidity for a player of his size, finding equal comfort dropping back in coverage as bullying his way into the backfield. His pass-rush plan is still rather rudimentary at the moment, but he has the toolkit of a double-digit sack artist. In a league where defenses are constantly taxed against the pass and run, Reese displays a unique aptitude for detonating whatever play an offense might throw at him.
Fernando Mendoza, QB, IndianaIt's a testament to Mendoza's impeccable body of work that the pre-draft vivisection of his game has largely only turned up questions of how he'll fare operating from under center rather than in the shotgun.
No one will confuse the 6-5, 236-pound Heisman Trophy winner with the likes of Cam Ward or Drake Maye, as he's not particularly creative or dangerous when a play breaks down. But that's about the only phase in which Mendoza comes up short. He's as precise as any passer you'll find from the college ranks, and he comfortably works through progressions and manipulates coverages. His arm strength isn't otherworldly, but he can attack every level with suitable velocity on his throws. Forcing him off his spot can throw him off his rhythm, but Mendoza rarely loses his cool under pressure and still conjures solutions when things aren't going his way. Beyond the improvisational shortcomings, he's the picture of a top-tier quarterback prospect.