POD Community Mock: With the 15th pick, the Falcons select…

With the 15th pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Falcons select…

The Pride of Detroit 2025 Community Mock Draft rolls along with the 15th pick, currently held by the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons shocked the entire draft community last year by taking Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick despite signing Kirk Cousins to a massive deal just a month prior. While the book is far from written on Penix, the move did little to help the Falcons pull out of their current slum. They finished 2024 with an 8-9 record, their seventh-straight losing season.

Can the Falcons finally turn around their fortune this year in a middling NFC South? Representing the Falcons in our POD Community Mock is commenter LionsTACKLE!!!

Before we get to their pick, you can check out the previous 14 picks in the draft by heading to our POD Community Mock Draft tracker.

With the 15th pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select…

Jalon Walker, edge defender out of Georgia.

Here’s LionsTACKLE!!! with an explanation for the pick:

Team needs: DE, LB, OL, CB2

Imagine this: You overpaid on a bid for an open-box TV and opt to pay the extra money for insurance. You take the TV home and enjoy it for nine weeks before it starts giving out and ultimately turns into an unusable (but possibly salvageable) brick 14 weeks after install. Looking back in retrospect, your investment in insurance has now been fully justified. This was Atlanta’s reality last year and the widely criticized selection of Michael Penix Jr. a month after signing Kirk Cousins is now seemingly genius.

On offense, the only holes the Falcons have are on the line. I considered replacing Drew Dalman, the top five center who left to sign with the Bears, or upgrading another position along the line. The problem was selecting the top-rated center, Jared Wilson, a projected second rounder, or taking the fourth O-lineman with pick #15 both seemed like reaches.

On defense, the Falcons finished 31st in sacks while the great DT Grady Jarrett left to also join the Bears this offseason. DT Kenneth Grant out of Michigan was an option here but his positional value among other questions made addressing this position more appropriate later. Moving onto the winner.

The often-injured DE Mykel Williams was my first impulse but the ghost of 2017’s Takk McKinley and his injuries still loom large in Atlanta. Ultimately, the Falcons follow the Eagles’ blueprint by taking UGA’s uber-athletic and healthier prospect, Jalon Walker. The Butkus Award winner shows elite change of direction with a top-five pressure rate in the FBS to supplement his production. Although raw, he is naturally fluid with a high motor, making him an exciting player with a high ceiling. His versatility to play LB or DE also helps bolster two needs.

What do you think of this pick? Give it a grade in the poll below, and then share your overall thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.