FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — A little something special adorns the magnets made for players from the state of Georgia on the Atlanta Falcons' draft board.
It's a Georgia peach.
"We always know that those players are our hometown guys," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said in February.
The sentiment includes those who played at either the collegiate or high school levels within the state's borders. Once a Georgia peach, always a Georgia peach kind of thing.
And this year, there are a considerable amount available for the picking.
At the 2025 NFL Combine, there were 41 prospects with in-state ties, which is good for 12% of the 329-player crop overall. The University of Georgia had 14 players invited – second most among all colleges – and the Georgia Institute of Technology had two. Another 25 played for a Georgia high school but went elsewhere for college.
"There's a reason we put that peach on those guys that get that Georgia grade," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "Obviously you want to know where they're from and get more information on those guys. … It's just a really great football, great sports state just in in general. It's really fun to be able to watch my kids be able to go through it, and it's really run to watch these kids come up through that process."
Under the Falcons' parameters, three of the top 20 players in Daniel Jeremiah’s prospect rankings for NFL.com would boast a Georgia peach. No. 2 cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter went to Collins High School in Suwanee. No. 7 edge Jalon Walker hails from UGA. No. 20 edge Mykel Williams attended UGA and Hardaway High School in Columbus.
The Falcons currently have the No. 15 overall pick, along with four more selections in subsequent rounds. Two recent mock drafts from ESPN and The Athletic have Atlanta taking Walker in the first round to help boost its pass rush.
"I don't determine that," Morris said of using the first-round pick on a Bulldog. "But we'll see. When we get to that pick and we're able to make those selections, definitely they have high value when we talk about our guys."
Fourteen teams pick before Atlanta, each with their own differing wants and needs. That won't make things so simple for the Falcons, who will choose from whichever prospects remain when they go on the clock. While they will be aware of the peaches, Atlanta's mission is to take the player it feels is best, regardless of where they're from.
The Falcons currently have six players rostered with ties to Georgia. Three attended college in the state. Four attended high school. That math doesn't equal out because one double-dipped and counts in both categories – tight end Charlie Woerner, who played at UGA and Rabun County High School in Tiger.
Rosters for 2025 are still in the works. But according to a study done by The Action Network in 2024, the state of Georgia had the 10th-most number of active players in the NFL. The Falcons' backyard has proven to be bountiful, whether they're personally able to tap into it more through this year's draft or not.
"A lot of really good players," Fontenot said. "Not just the University of Georgia, who's obviously one of the best teams in the country, done an unbelievable job. Then, also, just being from Georgia. I love youth sports and high school sports and all that. Getting to get out and see those young men, I believe it's the best in the country: our high school youth sports in Georgia."
