The Atlanta Falcons will welcome 16 rookie players at this weekends three-day introductory rookie mini-camp set to start on Friday. The team made only five selections in April’s draft, but added 11 undrafted free agents in the week since.
For the college football fan, there will be a few names that stick out when examining Atlanta’s newest editions. The UDFA class reads as such: Cobee Bryant (CB), Simeon Barrow Jr. (DL), Nathan Carter (RB), Joshua Gray (OL), Nick Kubitz (LB), Dontae Manning (CB), Nick Nash (WR), Joshua Simon (TE), Quincy Skinner Jr. (WR), Malik Verdon (LB), Jordan Williams (OT).
Falcons’ general manager Terry Fontenot is excited to see what this class is made of and hopes his team found a diamond in the rough.
“You can look at historical numbers,” Fontenot said. “Every year, there’s going to be first-round picks that don’t play well and there’s going to be undrafted free agents that end up being really good players.”
Fontenot got to work on this UDFA class immediately after the seven round 2025 NFL Draft finished. He wasted no time working on negotiations with a handful of players that he was surprised to see fall.
“I’m anxious to see,” Fontenot said after day three of the draft. “Because even on our front board, you still have players sitting there.”
Triple Crown Winner Nick Nash
Nick Nash was the NCAA’s bonafide WR1 in the 2024 season when the senior from San Jose State University posted neck breaking numbers.
“He started to show true progress in 2023 – with 728 yards – but really skyrocketed in 2024 – with 1,382 yards,” wrote Falcons team reporter Terrin Waack. “What’s even crazier, Nash became the fourth player in FBS history last season to earn the Triple Crown, which means he led in yards, receptions (104) and touchdowns (16).”
The knock on Nash is not only the concern with the level of competition at SJSU, but he did not post a great number at the combine. The six-foot-two 25-year-old recorded a less than ideal 4.57 forty. Regardless, a proven pass catcher with solid hands feels like a lock to make the fifty-three-man roster.
Cobee Bryant; Biggest Name Of The Bunch
Many expert’s were shocked to see Kansas corner Cobee Bryant go undrafted. The four year contributor had a noteworthy career with the Jayhawks.
“He had a successful career at Kansas and recorded 13 interceptions in four seasons, including eight in the last two,” wrote Waack. “He also turned two picks into touchdowns, proving he can be a real playmaker once the ball is in his hands. Bryant’s biggest knock through the evaluation process was his smaller size, but his fierce competitiveness earned him praise.”
Standing at six-foot weighing in at just 180 pounds, the 23-year-olds frame is a question mark, but his talent is undeniable.
Falcons’ Sign Triple Crown Winner; Meet Atlanta’s 16 Member Rookie Class