FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The 2026 NFL Draft is just a few short days away, and for Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham, it's the culmination of months of work and information gathering. Because of the depth of information Cunningham and his scouting staff have compiled on prospects in this draft class, they're the experts.
During his pre-draft press conference with head coach Kevin Stefanski on Monday morning, Cunningham offered a holistic breakdown of the 2026 class before him
This follows Cunningham's assessment last month at the Annual League Meetings. He agreed then with draft experts that this class isn't exceptionally top-heavy but does feature strong depth at certain positions the Falcons are eager to explore. He identified cornerback, safety and defensive end as the deepest groups.
"The cool thing is each year there are always a few position groups that are deeper than others," Cunningham said at the time. "As it sits right now, I don't think the draft is particularly top heavy. We are trying to find where that sweet spot may be in this upcoming draft."
With more information now in hand, along with several draft meetings in the rearview, Cunningham reiterated the depth among edge rushers but also added wide receivers to the list, noting that one of the class's real strengths is the number of pass catchers available throughout the draft.
"You've got some really good players at the top, some really good players with some different skill sets in the middle of the rounds," Cunningham said.
He called it a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of position group.
"You have guys that fit certain flavors, whether they are big, physical, possession-type guys, or those slots who can get in and out of breaks and get open and move the chains," Cunningham explained. "It's really a pick-your-flavor position, I think."
The other side of the coin is where depth wanes among position groups in this class — or, as Cunningham put it, where the "positional cliffs" are. This is the point where the caliber of player drops off. According to Cunningham, those positions this year, relative to past drafts, are running backs and defensive tackles.
These positional cliffs shift the calculus for decision-makers during draft weekend.
"We are believers of best player available," Cunningham said, "but you also have to take into account where some of those positional cliffs are."
This comes into play in scenarios where a team may need to select a player earlier than expected because a positional cliff is approaching. Waiting could mean missing out entirely on a comparable talent at that position.
All of these factors are what makes draft weekend strategy so compelling. It's the identifying of strengths and weaknesses, anticipating where cliffs might appear, and finding those valuable sweet spots. Those considerations are constantly running through Cunningham's mind, as well as those of general managers across the league come this weekend's festivities.
"I feel like we have done a good job of trying to utilize the resources that we have here," Cunningham concluded, "whether it be from security, to analytics, to help us identify the players we want to bring in."
