Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot deserves credit for the ability he has shown when it comes to navigating the cap and landing big free agents. Whether it was the trade for Matthew Judon or getting a receiver in exchange for Desmond Ridder, Fontenot has proven himself capable in building a roster.
With that said, the Falcons GM has been a complete failure when it comes to his draft classes. None have been worse than the team's 2024 draft class which is yet to make any impact. In case you've forgotten here is a full list of the team's 2024 class:
Michael Penix Jr. a top-ten pick is a bench player for at least the next two seasons while second-rounder Ruke Orhorhoro has been inactive each of the first three weeks. Bringing us to Bralen Trice who is lost for the season due to injury. Brandon Dorlus has been inactive as well with JD Bertrand serving as bench depth. Running back Jase McClellan is yet to be active stuck behind Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson.
Casey Washington is active but has had no impact as a depth receiver. This brings us to Atlanta's final pick Zion Logue who was a preseason cut and is a practice squad member. That is Atlanta's full draft class and there isn't a single player who is contributing to this team in any meaningful way.
Terry Fontenot's 2024 Atlanta Falcons draft class is historically bad
Difficult to accomplish in today's league you would think you would find a contributor by pure dumb luck. While this season has been the worst class by far it continues a trend under Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot. The team is going to make a questionable first-round decision and is likely to waste their mid-round picks on depth pieces.
The few hits that Fontenot has had in the later round like Clark Phillips or DeMarcco Hellams were replaced early in camp. Whether it is Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, or Penix there are still questions about how the GM chose to use Atlanta's first-round selections.
As great as Fotenot has been at managing the cap and bringing in free agents this year should serve as a warning to the GM. It isn't enough in this league to do part of your job at a high level. Fontenot's draft failures have been swept under the rug due to Arthur Smith and the revolving door at quarterback. This season's class has made it impossible to ignore any longer.
With this in mind, anything short of a playoff berth and winning season should have the Atlanta GM's job in question. This is with the understanding Fontenot must be better drafting in 2025, or the Falcons will have no choice but to make a change.
