The Atlanta Falcons had a chance to take sole possession of first place in the NFC South on Sunday and put a stake in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' chances of winning the division for the fifth time in six seasons.

Instead of becoming the only team with a .500 record and dropping Tampa Bay to 2-6, the Falcons find themselves sitting at 3-5 and looking up in the standings at both the Buccaneers (3-5) and the Carolina Panthers (3-4). Both teams have the tiebreaker over the Falcons via head-to-head record.

If there's a silver lining to this year's struggles, it's that the Falcons have a full allotment of draft picks after not having a first-round pick in 2026. New general manager Ian Cunningham's first class has been a success, with big-time contributions from linebackers Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr., selected in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

Cornerback Avieon Terrell, the team's first selection, has struggled to get healthy, but has played well when available, and wide receiver Zachariah Branch has shown flashes. Atlanta lost sixth-round defensive tackle Anterio Thompson to a medical condition, and seventh-round offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa has been getting experience on special teams.

Falcons 2027 NFL Draft Needs

Looking towards next season, the Falcons currently sit with the No. 13 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The jury is still out on Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback as he uses this season to prove he can be the long-term answer for Atlanta and keep them out of the quarterback market in the offseason.

Sunday's game in the Tampa monsoon notwithstanding, he's played well enough for the Falcons to look in another direction in the first round, but he'll need to bounce back from Sunday's four-interception performance and stay healthy for 15 games.

Taking quarterback off the table, offensive tackle is the biggest need on this team early in the draft. Jake Matthews is 34 years old, and the iron man has shown signs of Father Time catching up to him this year. At right tackle, Jawaan Taylor is on a one-year contract and scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season.

Cornerback is arguably the No. 2 need on this team. The Falcons selected Terrell at No. 48, but he's the first Day 1 or Day 2 cornerback the Falcons have taken since they drafted his brother in the first round in 2020. Injuries forced Mike Hughes into being the Falcons' No. 1 option at times this year, and he should be at best a No. 3 and probably best suited for a No. 4.

Nickel has been a problem too. Billy Bowman Jr. was drafted for the position in 2025, but he's only been available for 10 of 25 games the Falcons have played since being drafted in the fourth round out of Oklahoma. The Falcons have had to piece together the secondary from game to game, and they need another infusion of talent and depth.

Wide receiver comes in at No. 3 on the team's list of needs. Drake London is set at No. 1 for the foreseeable future. Jahan Dotson was signed as a free agent this offseason. However, he's better suited to a slot / No. 3 role, and he's getting paid like it. Branch is a nice addition, but the Falcons need more size, explosiveness, and depth.

Falcons Mock Draft

Recent mock drafts have the Falcons addressing their biggest need at offensive tackle. On SI draft analyst Justin Melo has Atlanta taking Lance Heard from the surprising No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats.

"Atlanta Falcons offensive line coach Bill Callahan will have a say if the organization drafts an offensive tackle. He'll love Kentucky's Lance Heard, who fits his mold from a size and physicality perspective. This is all about getting a Jake Matthews replacement," Melo wrote On SI Draft.

Tankathon also has the Falcons going with an offensive tackle in Texas Longhorns product Trevor Goosby. Goosby is out for the remainder of the 2026 season after having surgery to repair a torn left patellar tendon. Early this season, he was considered a top-10 prospect, but his stock has fallen a bit with the injury.

The Quandary at Quarterback

If the Falcons are picking No. 13 in April, it equates to a 7-10 or 8-9 type of record. It's hard to picture this team going 7-10 if Michael Penix Jr. has an excellent second half of the season.

That brings up a couple of what-if scenarios that Cunningham will ponder during the draft process.

1. Can Penix establish himself as a franchise quarterback and the team still struggles this year? Recent history would say "no." When the Falcons have gotten good quarterback play, they've won. When they've gotten bad quarterback play, they've lost. A 7-10 season would likely mean Penix struggled in the second half.

2. If they're picking No. 13, is there a quarterback available that would be worth taking without reaching?

The Rams used the Falcons' No. 13 overall pick in the last draft to take quarterback Ty Simpson out of Alabama. That felt like a reach, and the Falcons got good value for their trade of that pick in James Pearce Jr.

But this is supposed to be a deeper draft class at quarterback, though that sentiment seems to be waning as the season rolls along.

Melo has Arch Manning in range, selected by the Arizona Cardinals at No. 12. There's a better-than-average chance he's not in the draft and returns to college football. The Cleveland Browns select Trinidad Chambliss at No. 16 out of Ole Miss, and he's the final quarterback taken in the first round.

There's a scenario where the Falcons would like to draft a quarterback, but there isn't one they like enough in the middle of the draft, and they find themselves stuck in purgatory again.

The best-case scenario for the Falcons is that Penix plays well for the remainder of the season, and Atlanta finds itself picking in the late teens or even early 20s. Then they can address one of their needs with the prospect they like best. Goosby is still on Melo's board at No. 24. Offensive tackle Zereoue of Utah is taken by the Panthers at No. 19.

Cornerbacks Ellis Robinson IV from Georgia and Kelley Jones of Mississippi State go to the Cowboys and Bengals at No. 20 and No. 23 respectively.

The game on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals has a must-win feeling to it. Win and move to 4-5, and the Falcons will be right in the thick of the NFC South.

Lose and drop to 3-6, and these mock drafts start becoming a lot more interesting.