“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” The Atlanta Falcons’ 2024 season was like a Netflix series that started with a banger finale tease but fumbled the cliffhanger. Finishing 8-9 (second in the NFC South, again), they missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year—lots of hype, same tragic ending. Stats? Let’s rip the Band-Aid: 389 pts scored (13th), 423 allowed (23rd), and a defense softer than a TikTok influencer’s workout plan. But Raheem Morris isn’t here for reruns. After cutting the veteran pass-rusher, Morris might’ve made a power move.

Drafting Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku at No. 15. It’s a projection by Chad Reuter, (Draft Analyst). Cue the Rocky training montage music. Judon’s exit left a gap wider than the plot holes in Riverdale. Enter Ezeiruaku, a 6’2”, 248-lb human tornado. At BC, he racked up 80 tackles, 16.5 sacks, and 21 TFLs in 2024—stats so spicy they’d make Timothée Chalamet blush. He’s got that factor, you can’t teach his bend or his motor. Dude’s like if Khalil Mack and a Swiss Army knife had a baby. The Falcons’ D-line, already sporting Arnold Ebiketie and Bralen Trice, now adds a dude who won the Ted Hendricks Award. Translation: QBs, meet your sleep paralysis demon, (Morris’s geniuses?)

Morris isn’t playing Madden with cheat codes here—this is chess. “We won’t have the ability to be picking this high again,” he said. GM Terry Fontenot doubled down: “You don’t pass up that opportunity.” And why would they?

Ezeiruaku’s 34.5-inch arms and swim moves are the stuff of O-line nightmares. Plus, his $631k NIL valuation (47th nationally) proves he’s got drip—no cap. The Falcons’ edge rush, which managed just 35 sacks last year (22nd), needed a jolt.

But let’s not forget the QB drama. Last year, Atlanta shocked the world by drafting Michael Penix Jr. (8th overall) after signing Kirk Cousins. “Kirk’s our QB, but adding Penix is thinking about the future,” Raheem Morris said, serving godfather vibes: “It’s not personal, it’s business.” Penix’s rookie deal ($22.88M, fully guaranteed) is a bargain for a guy who dropped 202 yds in his Week 16 debut. Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson (1,456 rush yds, 14 TDs) is out here breaking ankles like he’s in Dance Moms.

Judon’s shadow and Ezeiruaku’s spotlight

Matthew Judon (5.5 sacks, 41 tackles in ‘24), was a heartbreak as he would say “The Atlanta Falcons don’t know me as a football player. They know my history.” So I can’t demand something I haven’t worked for.” So Releasing Judon (72 career sacks) felt like breaking up via text—harsh but necessary. Raheem Morris’s Falcons’ D allowed 24.9 ppg last year, and Judon’s 7 TFLs weren’t enough to save it.

Enter Ezeiruaku, whose 3 forced fumbles in ‘24 scream “ball hawk.”, Atlanta’s D-line now has the depth of a Succession season finale—messy, chaotic, but oddly thrilling. Morris isn’t just building a team; he’s crafting a vibe. “2025 starts today,” he declared post-season, sounding more hyped than Shia LaBeouf in a motivational meme.

With Penix learning under Cousins (3,508 yds, 18 TDs) and Drake London (1,271 rec yds) playing the Falcons’ offense is set. But the real gem? Ezeiruaku. If he brings half his college heat, Atlanta’s D might finally graduate from “meh” to Avengers status.

So, grab your popcorn, Bird Gang. The Falcons’ 2025 arc has potential. Morris isn’t here for participation trophies—he’s here to cook. And with Ezeiruaku’s motor? Let’s just say the NFC South better prep their fire extinguishers as the ‘The mission is to go and destroy everything out there.’