This Falcons rookie (not named Jalon Walker) has been dominating at training camp

Throughout the first few weeks of training camp, the Atlanta Falcons have already had a promising rookie emerge.

The Atlanta Falcons are entering a season where they believe they can snatch the NFC South throne from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and return to contender status. If that’s going to happen, Atlanta will need some help from a few of its rookie players. First-round picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are the two with the highest expectations, but they aren’t the only ones who could emerge as year-one contributors.

In a recent ESPN piece, Dan Graziano detailed his observations from visiting the Falcons in training camp, and one player who stood out was rookie defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. According to Graziano, Bowman has been turning heads throughout camp, and the team is planning to use him as a nickel cornerback this season.

"Another rookie turning heads in camp is fourth-round defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. The Falcons plan to use him in a nickel cornerback role, and his performance this offseason has them excited about the kind of impact player he can become in the pros."

Dan Graziano (ESPN)

Billy Bowman Jr. has been turning heads in Falcons training camp

Atlanta selected Bowman in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft after a four-year career at Oklahoma. During his time with the Sooners, Bowman starred as a safety, and had a knack for taking the ball away. In 47 career games, he recorded 11 interceptions — three he returned for touchdowns — and forced two fumbles while recovering three.

Just as the Falcons took edge defenders with consecutive picks in the first round, they did the same with defensive backs in the mid rounds. Atlanta selected safety Xavier Watts in round three before circling back to draft Bowman, emphasizing the team’s need to rebuild the secondary. Now, both are penciled in as second team players, Watts at free safety and Bowman at nickel, and have a chance to contribute as rookies.