Brandon Dorlus named Falcons breakout pick by ESPN

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Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus (54) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brandon Dorlus was everyone’s draft darling in 2024, but he barely got to play. Then he was everyone’s second-year crush in 2025, and he responded by putting up 8.5 sacks before a devastating injury ended his season a bit early. Now heading into a crucial third year when many young players cement their reputations, Dorlus is coming back with more to prove and is jockeying with Jalon Walker as everyone’s favorite pick for the team’s likely standout defender in 2026.

That includes ESPN’s Benjamin Solak, who went through all 32 teams to pick a breakout candidate and settled on Dorlus. Here’s his rationale:

The lightbulb is coming on for Dorlus, and I’m loving it. He had 8.5 sacks last season, seven of which came in the back half. A true tweener out of college, Dorlus spent most of his time with Oregon on the edge but has bulked up to play on the interior over two years in Atlanta. That process takes time, especially when an entire rookie season is lost to an abdomen injury.

A lot of Dorlus’ sack production was in cleanup after edge rushers forced the quarterback to climb, but he still used his length and flexibility well to shed blocks late and make tackles away from his frame. He is especially effective as a looper or crasher in blitz packages, with a great knack for becoming skinny as he works through the line of scrimmage.

Dorlus is still more tweener than he is versatile, but 2025 was a clear realization of the vision we never got to see in 2024. Continuity in coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s defense will be big for his continued growth.

Aside from the part about the rookie season being lost to an abdomen injury—Dorlus appeared in two games and the injury came late in the season—this is a very fair writeup. Dorlus came into the league with an intriguing skillset as a pass rusher and proved to be an ideal fit for Nate Ollie and Jeff Ulbrich’s aggressive front. Dorlus might have cracked double digit sacks had he not missed two games, and he was a solid presence against the run throughout the season. Some struggles with missed tackles were the only significant problems he faced in just his second NFL season.

What makes Dorlus such a strong pick for a breakout player, even with Jalon Walker and Xavier Watts looming as obvious competition, is that mix of strong production, small tweaks and gains that could lift that production higher, and opportunity. The Falcons rotate a lot along their line, but Dorlus only dipped below 22 snaps once in 15 games last year, and the “go get the quarterback” philosophy this team has embraced is perfect for Dorlus’s strengths. With some of the significant changes in the group up front—remember that both Ruke Orhorhoro and David Onyemata are gone—there should be more snaps for Dorlus and a chance to hit that double digit sack mark.

That’s a long-winded way of saying that while I’d probably still pick Walker over Dorlus if I had to take just one Falcon, he’s a fine pick for a breakout player. I’m not going to bet against Dorlus turning in the kind of year three that gets him a Pro Bowl nod.

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