Deion Sanders leads seven Falcons draft picks ranked best all time by ESPN

The Atlanta Falcons have rarely been considered one of the NFL’s elite franchises. With just two conference championships, six division titles, and no Super Bowl wins, the accolades are limited. But that doesn’t mean the Falcons haven’t produced some of the best talent the league has ever seen.

ESPN’s Ben Solak recently published a piece highlighting the best draft pick ever from every slot, from No. 1 to No. 262. The Falcons were well-represented, with seven players making the list — beginning with Deion Sanders, the No. 5 overall pick in the 1989 draft.

“It’s a loaded fifth pick (Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jalen Ramsey and Ja’Marr Chase), but Sanders gets the nod for his unique place as a two-way player (not to mention his two rings — one of which came in his Defensive Player of the Year season — and his six first-team All-Pro appearances). Does he also get a bump for providing excellent return on a sixth-round draft pick in the MLB draft? Who’s to say?” Solak wrote.

The Falcons next appeared at No. 33 overall — with Brett Favre. Unfortunately for Atlanta, that selection ended up benefitting the Green Bay Packers far more than themselves.

“The 33rd pick has produced four Hall of Famers, but Isaac Bruce, Fred Dean and Ted Hendricks can’t clear the value of Favre, a three-time MVP and one of the league’s most electric passers ever. An excellent draft pick by the Falcons, though they reaped absolutely none of what they sowed,” Solak added.

Here’s the full list of Falcons draft picks featured in Solak’s piece:

• Pick No. 5 – Deion Sanders
   
• Pick No. 33 – Brett Favre
   
• Pick No. 79 – William Andrews
   
• Pick No. 90 – Matt Schaub
   
• Pick No. 137 – Grady Jarrett
   
• Pick No. 236 – Tom Pridemore
   
• Pick No. 237 – Todd McClure
   

Grady Jarrett, notably, is still active heading into his 11th NFL season — though no longer with Atlanta. The Falcons released Jarrett this offseason, and he later signed with the Chicago Bears. In 10 years with the Falcons, he tallied 36.5 sacks, 77 tackles for loss, and 126 quarterback hits.

Some fans may question the absence of franchise legends like Matt Ryan (No. 3 overall) or Julio Jones (No. 6 overall), but Solak’s picks are defensible, considering the caliber of competition at each slot.

Falcons team reporter Will McFadden pointed out that current players could join the list in the future — especially from one particular pick.

“On the current roster, the Falcons have a slew of talented offensive players who were drafted at No. 8 overall. However, Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Michael Penix Jr. have a long way to go to beat out Solak’s pick at that slot, 49ers legend Ronnie Lott,” McFadden wrote.

If anything, this serves as proof that talent has never been Atlanta’s issue — keeping it has.