Atlanta Falcons
Battle card · first-round draft history, season-by-season record, and how Falcons top picks have shaped the franchise.
R1 Picks
57
Hall of Famers
1
1.8% hit rate
Avg pick slot
13.7
Highest pick
#1
Steve Bartkowski · 1975
All-time record
394–478–5
0.452 win %
Playoff seasons
14
of 56
The Story
- Atlanta Falcons have made 57 first-round selections and produced 1 Hall of Famers (1.8% hit rate).
- Their highest selection on record is #1 overall in 1975, when they took Steve Bartkowski.
- Across 56 seasons in this dataset they have a 394-478-5 record (0.452) and reached the playoffs 14 times.
- In seasons after holding at least one top-10 pick, Atlanta Falcons added an average of 1.2 wins versus the prior year (25 such seasons in the data).
- Their most-drafted position group is DL, taken 12 times in Round 1.
- Washington is their go-to talent pipeline, supplying 4 first-round picks.
- Their best season was 1998: 14-2-0 (+153 point differential).
- Their worst was 1989: 3-13-0 (-158 point differential).
Wins per Season
R1 Pick Slot by Year
Position Breakdown
Point Differential by Season
Impact of Top-10 Picks (Next-Season Wins Delta)
| Draft Year | Pick | Player | Prior-Year Wins | New-Year Wins | Delta | HoF? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | #7 | Joe Profit | 4 | 7 | +3 | |
| 1975 | #1 | Steve Bartkowski | 3 | 4 | +1 | |
| 1976 | #9 | Bubba Bean | 4 | 4 | +0 | |
| 1977 | #6 | Warren Bryant | 4 | 7 | +3 | |
| 1980 | #7 | Junior Miller | 6 | 12 | +6 | |
| 1982 | #9 | Gerald Riggs | 7 | 5 | -2 | |
| 1984 | #9 | Rick Bryan | 7 | 4 | -3 | |
| 1985 | #2 | Bill Fralic | 4 | 4 | +0 | |
| 1986 | #2 | Tony Casillas | 4 | 7 | +3 | |
| 1988 | #1 | Aundray Bruce | 3 | 5 | +2 | |
| 1989 | #5 | Deion Sanders | 5 | 3 | -2 | HoF |
| 1991 | #3 | Bruce Pickens | 5 | 10 | +5 | |
| 1992 | #8 | Bob Whitfield | 10 | 6 | -4 | |
| 1993 | #9 | Lincoln Kennedy | 6 | 6 | +0 | |
| 2001 | #1 | Michael Vick | 4 | 7 | +3 | |
| 2004 | #8 | DeAngelo Hall | 5 | 11 | +6 | |
| 2007 | #8 | Jamaal Anderson | 7 | 4 | -3 | |
| 2008 | #3 | Matt Ryan | 4 | 11 | +7 | |
| 2011 | #6 | Julio Jones | 13 | 10 | -3 | |
| 2014 | #6 | Jake Matthews | 4 | 6 | +2 | |
| 2015 | #8 | Vic Beasley | 6 | 8 | +2 | |
| 2021 | #4 | Kyle Pitts | 4 | 7 | +3 | |
| 2022 | #8 | Drake London | 7 | 7 | +0 | |
| 2023 | #8 | Bijan Robinson | 7 | 7 | +0 | |
| 2024 | #8 | Michael Penix | 7 | 8 | +1 |
Hall of Fame Selections
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #5 | Deion Sanders | DB | Florida St. |
Every First-Round Pick
| Year | Pick | Player | Pos | College | HoF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | #12 | John Small | DT | The Citadel | |
| 1971 | #7 | Joe Profit | RB | La-Monroe | |
| 1972 | #15 | Clarence Ellis | DB | Notre Dame | |
| 1975 | #1 | Steve Bartkowski | QB | California | |
| 1976 | #9 | Bubba Bean | RB | Texas A&M | |
| 1977 | #6 | Warren Bryant | T | Kentucky | |
| 1977 | #20 | Wilson Faumuina | DT | San Jose St. | |
| 1978 | #13 | Mike Kenn | T | Michigan | |
| 1979 | #17 | Don Smith | NT | Miami (FL) | |
| 1980 | #7 | Junior Miller | TE | Nebraska | |
| 1981 | #25 | Bobby Butler | DB | Florida St. | |
| 1982 | #9 | Gerald Riggs | RB | Arizona St. | |
| 1983 | #16 | Mike Pitts | DT | Alabama | |
| 1984 | #9 | Rick Bryan | DE | Oklahoma | |
| 1985 | #2 | Bill Fralic | G | Pittsburgh | |
| 1986 | #2 | Tony Casillas | DT | Oklahoma | |
| 1986 | #17 | Tim Green | LB | Syracuse | |
| 1987 | #13 | Chris Miller | QB | Oregon | |
| 1988 | #1 | Aundray Bruce | LB | Auburn | |
| 1989 | #5 | Deion Sanders | DB | Florida St. | HoF |
| 1989 | #27 | Shawn Collins | WR | Northern Arizona | |
| 1990 | #20 | Steve Broussard | RB | Washington St. | |
| 1991 | #3 | Bruce Pickens | DB | Nebraska | |
| 1991 | #13 | Mike Pritchard | WR | Colorado | |
| 1992 | #8 | Bob Whitfield | T | Stanford | |
| 1992 | #19 | Tony Smith | RB | Southern Miss | |
| 1993 | #9 | Lincoln Kennedy | T | Washington | |
| 1995 | #26 | Devin Bush Sr. | DB | Florida St. | |
| 1997 | #11 | Michael Booker | DB | Nebraska | |
| 1998 | #12 | Keith Brooking | LB | Georgia Tech | |
| 1999 | #30 | Patrick Kerney | DE | Virginia | |
| 2001 | #1 | Michael Vick | QB | Virginia Tech | |
| 2002 | #18 | T.J. Duckett | RB | Michigan St. | |
| 2004 | #8 | DeAngelo Hall | DB | Virginia Tech | |
| 2004 | #29 | Michael Jenkins | WR | Ohio St. | |
| 2005 | #27 | Roddy White | WR | Ala-Birmingham | |
| 2007 | #8 | Jamaal Anderson | DE | Arkansas | |
| 2008 | #3 | Matt Ryan | QB | Boston Col. | |
| 2008 | #21 | Sam Baker | T | USC | |
| 2009 | #24 | Peria Jerry | DT | Mississippi | |
| 2010 | #19 | Sean Weatherspoon | LB | Missouri | |
| 2011 | #6 | Julio Jones | WR | Alabama | |
| 2013 | #22 | Desmond Trufant | DB | Washington | |
| 2014 | #6 | Jake Matthews | T | Texas A&M | |
| 2015 | #8 | Vic Beasley | OLB | Clemson | |
| 2016 | #17 | Keanu Neal | S | Florida | |
| 2017 | #26 | Takkarist McKinley | DE | UCLA | |
| 2018 | #26 | Calvin Ridley | WR | Alabama | |
| 2019 | #14 | Chris Lindstrom | G | Boston Col. | |
| 2019 | #31 | Kaleb McGary | T | Washington | |
| 2020 | #16 | AJ Terrell | CB | Clemson | |
| 2021 | #4 | Kyle Pitts | TE | Florida | |
| 2022 | #8 | Drake London | WR | USC | |
| 2023 | #8 | Bijan Robinson | RB | Texas | |
| 2024 | #8 | Michael Penix | QB | Washington | |
| 2025 | #15 | Jalon Walker | DE | Georgia | |
| 2025 | #26 | James Pearce | DE | Tennessee |