Getting inside the mind of an NFL General Manager is never easy, but with time, trends and habits develop. By year three or four, tendencies become more obvious, and with the amount of information available, fans generally understand how their team will attack the draft.
A new shot caller makes deciphering moves difficult, but that may not be the case for new Atlanta Falcons GM Ian Cunningham, who has been a straight shooter since he joined the front office.
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His handling of Kaden Elliss’s departure is a prime example of the GM’s transparency. When asked about Elliss’s future at the NFL Combine, Cunningham got straight to the point and cited Atlanta’s tight cap situation and the deep linebacker market, saying the team needs to explore its options. The end result? Cunningham signed two linebackers (Christian Harris and Channing Tindall) to affordable deals and let New Orleans pay Elliss $11M per year.
In that same presser, Cunningham also referred to the wide receiver position as a premium position. He said the team would take a look at this draft class, but he didn’t waste time upgrading the room as soon as free agency began with the signings of Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus.
Now obviously, the Falcons were going to have to sign players at these respective positions, so what makes these moves notable? It’s the way Cunningham communicated these needs. Over the last five seasons, Terry Fontenot’s front office often tried to play coy when situations were painfully obvious, and the corresponding moves made during that era led many to complain that the team was simply outsmarting itself.
Cunningham speaks to the issues bluntly and takes action that aligns with those comments. He told his scouting department that the team would never have this few draft picks again, and he’s already ensured that by securing additional picks via the compensatory pick formula. The Falcons haven’t had a comp pick since 2019.
Based on what we know about Cunningham, the expectation is that his draft philosophy will be quite the departure from that of Terry Fontenot and Thomas Dimitroff. The days of throwing away Day 2 and Day 3 picks are over, and an attempt to build this team’s foundation through the draft will be the new norm.
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The abundance of one-year deals that Cunningham handed out directly correlates with the lack of picks in this year’s draft. It also signals that Cunningham wants space for his own players when he finally has the draft capital for a bigger overhaul in 2027.
Cunningham cut his teeth in front offices that let the draft board work for them. Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman is famous for “getting away with it” on draft night when a good player falls to him, but what Roseman has truly mastered is the art of patience. There will always be a good player waiting in your team’s draft slot, but does your front office have confidence in its scouting and the ability to hold its water when the clock starts ticking? These were skills the previous regime lacked.
No one is saying teams shouldn’t ever trade up (some are actually saying this), but when you’re doing it every season, it creates the perception that your scouting is shallow and your coaching is limited. Those trades will add up over time, creating holes in future drafts and limiting acquisition flexibility. A 5th or 6th-round pick that seems inconsequential today could land you a Tyler Allgeier in the future.
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Ian Cunningham’s philosophy isn’t likely to be predicated on taking a specific position or prospect in a specific slot, but on having enough draft resources to take the best prospect, regardless of position, when the team is on the clock. That does not mean the team’s needs will be ignored; rather, Cunningham won’t let them box him in.
The needs-based approach taken in his first free agency supports this philosophy and has created the flexibility needed to attack the draft more freely. The more draft capital Cunningham has, the greater his freedom, which is why he’s already been aggressive in acquiring future capital.
We haven’t seen an Ian Cunningham-led draft yet, but Atlanta’s moves this offseason have been aligned with the conversations Cunningham has had with the media. If that trend continues, we should expect this team to be far stingier with its draft resources and treat each round as an opportunity to find a year-one contributor.
If Cunningham is able to install the draft philosophy we’ve envisioned in this article, then the future health of this franchise’s roster could be unlike anything we’ve seen in the past.
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