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TJ Watt is still a force off the edge.

The Atlanta Falcons have not made the playoffs since 2016. Though they have had some talented rosters, they just can’t seem to make a playoff push.

What if Atlanta’s 2017 first round pick would have looked different than the pick they chose? The Atlanta Falcons drafted Edge Rusher Takkarist McKinley at No. 26 overall.

According to a 2017 NFL Re-Draft, Bleacher Report has Atlanta selecting T.J. Watt instead of McKinley.

“Watt, an eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, would be a logical target for Atlanta—and a few other teams—in a 2017 re-draft.” Kristopher Knox wrote in the Bleacher Report article.

T.J. Watt is a Game-Changing Edge Rusher

Watt agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. T.J. Watt led the league in sacks for three seasons in his nine-year career.

“The 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Watt led the league in sacks for three of his eight seasons, and he led in forced fumbles twice, including last season. Even so, Watt struggled down the stretch in 2024. He finished the year with 11.5 sacks, but he had just two sacks and four quarterback hits in the Steelers’ season-ending five-game losing streak.” Brooke Pryor wrote in a 2025 ESPN article.

Watt has recorded 115 sacks over the course of his career. He has 36 forced fumbles along with 354 solo tackles. Considering the hall of fame career Watt has had. Atlanta should be kicking themselves for passing up on Watt.

“To be fair, the Atlanta Falcons haven’t had many first-round misses this century. Edge-rusher Takkarist McKinley was the team’s biggest whiff, and he recorded 13.0 sacks over his first two seasons.” Knox wrote in the Bleacher Report article. “However, McKinley’s production dipped after his sophomore campaign. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2019 and was released during the 2020 season after requesting a trade out of Atlanta.”

“McKinley appeared in 22 games after leaving the Falcons but hasn’t played since 2024. Making his 2017 selection look worse is the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers landed edge-rusher T.J. Watt a few picks later.”

Atlanta Falcons Need a Pass Rusher

Fast forward nine years after the 2017 NFL draft, Atlanta is in a situation where they need a pass rusher. Though T.J. Watt is a Steeler, they’re next opportunity to get a game-changing pass rusher could come in this year’s NFL draft.

Unfortunately, the future of edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is up in the air. The Falcons pass rusher was charged with three felony counts in February and has a trial hearing scheduled for May 4. Due to these circumstances, The Falcons may want to use one of their picks on a pass rusher.

“Because the Falcons lost star blitzer Kaden Elliss, any and all pass-rushing talents in the front seven could be targeted at No. 48. Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State) seems like a good scheme fit if they go for an edge rusher; Caleb Banks (Florida) would be a great gamble if he falls to the middle of the second round.” An ESPN article says.

The Atlanta Falcons could possibly make amends for the T.J. Watt pass up in the 2026 NFL draft. We’ll just have to see what happens.