Fаlconѕ Projected Mаke Hіѕtorіc Drаft Pіck аt No. 15 Overаll

Atlantafalcons.com's Tori McElhaney predicted the organization to make history with its 2025 first-round pick in her first NFL mock draft this offseason.

NFL free agency is about to start. But that doesn't mean the mock drafts stop.

At Atlantafalcons.com, the mock drafts are actually just beginning. Falcons senior reporter Tori McElhaney released her first mock Friday.

In that mock draft, McElhaney projected the Falcons to do something they have never done previously -- target a Georgia Bulldogs player in the first round.

McElhaney had the Falcons landing Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams at No. 15 overall.

"This feels like a very intriguing pick for Atlanta. Did Williams have a stellar statistical season? No. But I don't think you can discount him on a down year alone," she wrote. "What he could provide a defensive front is length, athleticism and promise. These are things the Falcons covet."

McElhaney's mock draft prediction feels a little like fan service. She openly admitted in her analysis that she receives numerous questions and tweets about why the Falcons don't target Georgia players in the NFL Draft.

But McElhaney's first prediction is still noteworthy because she works for the team. It's unlikely the Falcons would have her publish a projection that had no chance of happening.

It's not as though the Falcons never target Georgia Bulldogs prospects. Last year, the Falcons selected Bulldogs defensive lineman Zion Logue in the sixth round.

However, the Falcons have never chosen a Georgia player in the first round. The organization also has never grabbed a Bulldogs prospect in the second round.

The last time the Falcons drafted a Georgia player in the third round was linebacker Akeem Dent during the 2011 NFL Draft.

In 1998, the Falcons selected local linebacker Keith Brooking in the first round. But he went to Georgia Tech.

Williams would be a fit for Atlanta's defense because of its desperate need for help at edge rusher. Williams registered five sacks, nine tackles for loss, two pass defenses and two forced fumbles in 12 games last season.

He had 14 sacks in 40 career games at Georgia.

The question, though, is whether McElhaney will stay truthful to her Williams prediction in her second mock draft. Reporters that work for the NFL teams tend to make as many different projections as possible to cover all the potential propects the organization could select.

If Williams is a repeat projection to the Falcons for McElhaney this spring, then readers will know it's more than just fan service.