Let's turn back the clocks a little bit a spend some time discussing our favorite draft picks in Atlanta Falcons history.

byTori McElhaney,Will McFadden&Terrin Waack

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. The 2025 NFL Draft is a little less than a week away, and there's not much else to say that hasn't been said 15 different ways already.

So, we're turning back the clocks a little bit. This isn't a time to keep discussing the 2025 draft, it's a time to talk about literally any other. Here are our editorial team's favorite draft picks in Falcons history.

Editor's note: We could only pick three, and there are many other players worthy of selection. If you'd like to share your favorite Falcons draft memory,*please send us a message here.*

TORI McELHANEY:The drafting of Matt Ryan with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft ushered in one of the most prosperous eras of the franchise's history to date. I would argue there was no one more integral in that success, more consistent in his play, than that of Ryan as he led this team through a decade of playoff runs and a Super Bowl appearance.

Even early on, the success of Ryan (and his draft class, which included players like Harry Douglas and Sam Baker) was palpable, as the team put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history in 2008 and 2009, to go along with four playoff appearances in the next five years. That's not even mentioning Ryan's MVP status in 2016, or the feats he and Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez achieved together.

Everything on the field as well as off was stable with Ryan. He was every bitdeserving of the Ring of Honor placementthe Falcons bestowed upon him last season. And I would argue he had the most weight on his shoulders when he entered the league in 2008. The Falcons needed a franchise quarterback who could handle following the lore of Michael Vick, and move past the chaos of the 2007 season. Ryan did that, and more.

If teams across the league are ever looking for an example of what it looks like to draft a franchise quarterback who leads an organization to new heights, Ryan should be the archetype within that conversation. For that reason, he is my favorite all-time Falcons draft pick.

WILL McFADDEN:In terms of the player I'm most excited the Falcons added in my lifetime, it's got to be Michael Vick. Easy. But my favorite all-time draft pick is a different selection, and it's for purely sentimental reasons.

Back in 2005, when the NFL Draft consisted of just two days and the first-round began at noon, ET, I was in the middle of the north Georgia wilderness with my dad on a Boy Scout camping trip. As the sun began its slow ascent and warmed the frosty morning mountain air, the first round ticked away. Having reached the NFC Championship game in 2004, the Falcons weren't on the clock until pick No. 27.

That left plenty of time for my dad and me to debate with the other scouts (not the front-office kind) and chaperones gathered around the campfire which players and positions Atlanta should target. Should they add another defensive linemen in the first round? (The more things change) Should they give Keith Brooking an athletic running mate or continue to add valuable depth on the offensive line? We went through all of these scenarios up until the moment NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's voice crackled over our small radio to announce that the Atlanta Falcons were on the clock.

The player they selected: Roddy White, a small-school receiver out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham. There was some collective disgruntlement as we all lamented the Falcons not selecting some player who had undoubtedly been mocked to Atlanta once or twice in the months leading up to the draft. While White's career didn't get off to the smoothest start, I think it's fair to say it all worked out in the end. From our ring around the campfire to the Falcons Ring of Honor, White provided some unforgettable memories in the red and black.

At the very least, it gave me a moment I'll always remember. Shout out to father-son camping trips.

TERRIN WAACK:People sometimes forget the Falcons selected Brett Favre with the No. 33 overall pick in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He went 33rd overall. He even made his NFL debut with the Falcons, playing as a rookie in their Week 9 win against the Los Angeles Rams at wait for it the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Snap counts weren't recorded back then,nor did Favre attempt any passes, so it's just a technicality with no stats. Favre made his second professional appearance not long after, though, in the Falcons' Week 11 loss to the then-Washington Redskins. This time, he attempted four passes but did not complete any. Two were actually intercepted. That was the extent of Favre's first season in the league.

The Falcons had Chris Miller as their starting quarterback, with Billy Joe Tolliver as his backup, at the time. Considering the Falcons went 10-6 and won a wild-card game, Atlanta (among other reasons) was happy enough with the setup that the organization traded Favre to the Green Bay Packers on Feb. 11, 1992, in exchange for a first-round draft pick.

That first-round draft pick was then used on running back Tony Smith, going No. 19 overall in 1992. Smith ultimately played for three seasons, with six starts and 33 appearances in Atlanta. He carried the ball 87 times for 329 yards and two touchdowns. His career ended there.

Meanwhile, Favre's post-Falcons future needs no breakdown.The Hall of Fame has that covered.

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