Atlanta, GA
Who is the biggest draft bust in Atlanta Falcons history?
We’ve seen some big swings from The Falcons over the years: officially closing the door on the Michael Vick era with the selection of Matt Ryan at No. 3 in 2008 and trading up for Julio Jones in 2011 are two fairly recent examples that come to mind. Even just last year, Atlanta stunned the world by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after bringing in veteran Kirk Cousins on a very pricy deal with an eye-popping amount of guaranteed money.
There have also been some big NFL Draft whiffs from this front office over the years, and that’s who we’re here to talk about today. Who is the biggest draft bust in Falcons history?
Here are our thoughts. Scroll down to the comments to share yours.
Jamaal Anderson, defensive end, 2007
Four and a half sacks on nearly 1,400 pass-rushing snaps. That’s a whole lot less production than you’d expect to get out of the eighth overall pick, unless that pick was absolutely not a pass rusher. Unfortunately for Jamaal Anderson, he was very much expected to be a pass rusher, and it did not pan out at all. Pro Football Focus named him the Falcons’ worst pick since 2006, and I tend to agree.
In his four seasons in Atlanta, Anderson did barely anything. He had 104 tackles — 83 solo — the aforementioned 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and nine pass breakups. He went on to have his best season with the Colts in 2011 — and his best season was three sacks. The Falcons haven’t had much luck in the past couple of decades with edge rushers who aren’t named John Abraham, and Jamaal Anderson is one of the biggest disappointments. – Jeanna Kelley
Peria Jerry, defensive tackle, 2009
The 2025 draft class has been all about the defensive line. Analysts have said from the jump that this is the year to bolster the trenches if you need help, and no one needs it more than Atlanta.
This need has made me think about how the franchise got here in the first place, and Peria Jerry has always symbolized the trailhead. He wasn’t Thomas Dimitroff’s first mistake—that lovely award goes to Sam Baker—but he is arguably the most impactful. He set the stage for what would become a reoccurring issue for Dimitroff: his inability to add quality defensive linemen.
Jerry would essentially miss his entire rookie season due to a brutal knee injury. He was never able to earn a starting role until the final year of his rookie deal, which was the final year of his career. He amassed 5.5 sacks over five years. To add insult to injury, Perry was drafted over Clay Matthews Jr., the cousin of Falcon’s ironman Jake Matthews.
Clay would go on to have a decorated career, during which time he was recognized as one of the best defenders and pass rushers in the league. Jerry, like most Falcons defensive picks, would be judged harshly not only because he failed but because the options around him were tiers better. I don’t like to succumb to the idea that a single player will make all the difference for a team sport like football, but it is hard to deny when looking back at the franchise’s biggest blunders.—Tre’Shon Diaz
Bruce Pickens, cornerback, 1991
People throw out Jamaal Anderson, but he was the eighth pick. They mention Aundray Bruce, but he was actually a quality player for a few years, even if he fell well short of being worthy of the first overall pick. They mention Michael Booker because he flamed out so spectacularly, but he wasn’t even the worst Nebraska defensive back the Falcons have drafted.
That would be Pickens. He was the third overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, picked just ahead of the excellent Todd Lyght at corner, quality defensive tackle Eric Swann, and great wide receiver Herman Moore. Even in a relatively weak first round, Pickens stands out as a terrible selection, as the fast but unproductive corner started in just eight games for the Falcons and managed two interceptions, appearing in just 48 games over the course of a four-year career with multiple teams. Considering the fact that he was a top five pick, the team badly needed a corner to pair with Deion Sanders and didn’t get one, and that Pickens basically did nothing for the franchise makes the ill-fated decision to draft him the worst in Atlanta’s history. —Dave Choate
Peter Konz, center, 2012
Peter Konz is saved from being at the top of most “bust” lists thanks to his second-round selection. Is Konz really that much worse than the Ra-Shede Hagemans and the Jimmy Williams of Falcons draft history? Let’s first take a look at the state of the Falcons at draft time: Matt Ryan was getting into his rhythm following a recent 2010 Pro Bowl nod; Thomas Dimitroff swung big on Julio Jones in the 2011 draft to pair with Roddy White; Jon Abraham was typically putting up double-digit sacks; Michael Turner just wrapped back-to-back 1300+ rush yard seasons. Honorable mentions go to William Moore, Tony Gonzalez and Jonathan Babineaux which highlights how absolutely stacked the roster was.
In 2012, the Falcons were short on picks thanks to the Julio trade. Knowing each pick was important, Thomas Dimitroff came away with guard/center Peter Konz, tackle Lamar Holmes, FB Bradie Ewing, EDGE Jonathan Massaquoi, safety Charles Mitchell, and DT Travian Robertson. If you’re keeping track, the whole draft class was a wash. Years out of the NFL, Dimitroff candidly admitted some late round selections were made on mere blurbs, or more problematically, Konz was drafted based on very little research. In short, Konz lands at Atlanta’s selection and gets picked mainly because he seems like a value pick who dropped. Instead, the rest of the NFL clearly wasn’t sold.
Konz first played poorly at guard. Thinking he’d be a better fit at his natural position of center, the organization pushed out veteran Todd McClure for a struggling young player. If you thought Jalen Mayfield was bad, Konz was worse, landing at 34 out of 35 centers by PFF his first year starting. There weren’t bright spots in his game — he just wasn’t up to play in the NFL. Even Jamaal Anderson was decent against the run while Konz struggled in all aspects. Konz setoff multiple down years for the Falcons as the offensive line spent years among the league’s worst. Tough to remember now that the Falcons are perennially out of the playoff race by mid December, but multiple years out of the playoffs for a team like the Falcons was a disappointment. Konz’s bust status cemented Atlanta’s three-year playoff drought. —Matt Chambers
ATLANTA – Atlanta police are searching for three masked men who drove a rental truck directly through the brick wall of a downtown clothing store early Wednesday morning. Investigators say the thieves heavily ransacked the business before making a quick escape.
Atlanta smash-and-grab details
What we know:
The burglary occurred just before 5 a.m. Wednesday at Identity-ATL, a high-end streetwear shop on the 100 block of Walker Street SW. Police say three masked men repeatedly rammed a U-Haul truck into the side of the building, smashing a massive hole in the brick wall.
Store owner Rod Thomas received an urgent call from his alarm company and rushed to his business as fast as he could. The thieves grabbed whatever clothing items they could get their hands on, drove away a white pickup truck, and left behind a pile of rubble.
Shop owners react to destruction
What they’re saying:
Thomas what he saw when he arrived at his store. He worked so hard to build. “I was just speechless, for real,” Thomas said. “I’m just distraught, you know.”
Despite the blow to his storefront, Thomas remains determined to move forward. “I rather they not do that. But I have to move forward,” Thomas said, offering a straightforward message to the thieves: “Do something better. That’s what I would say.”
Phillip Louissaint, who owns Saint’s Professional Grooming barbershop in the same building, said the neighborhood is normally a safe, pleasant place to do business. “It’s very disturbing,” Louissaint said. “Actually, it’s disturbing a little bit. We haven’t had any signs of anything like this happening here.”
Search for masked suspects
What we don’t know:
Police have not yet provided a physical description of the three suspects who remain on the loose. Authorities have also not released an official dollar amount or total value for the clothing items that were stolen during the raid.
No injuries were reported during the crash or the subsequent robbery. Investigators are currently reviewing area surveillance videos to track down the white pickup truck and identify the men responsible.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from store owner Rod Thomas and neighboring business owner Phillip Louissaint, who explained how they experienced the incident.
Atlanta, GA
Jermaine Dupri sues Sony Music over alleged $18 million royalty dispute involving So So Def artists
Atlanta music executive Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def companies are suing Sony Music Entertainment, accusing the record label of improperly handling royalty payments tied to a decades-long business relationship.
The lawsuit, filed July 6 and amended July 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges Sony underpaid, failed to properly report and withheld millions of dollars in royalties connected to recordings by artists including Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge.
Dupri and So So Def are seeking at least $18 million in damages, along with interest and attorneys’ fees, according to the complaint.
So far, Sony Music Entertainment has not filed a response to the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, Dupri and his companies discovered the alleged royalty issues after a 2025 audit conducted by accounting firm Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman.
According to the complaint, the parties entered a tolling agreement in November 2025 after So So Def raised concerns about approximately $18 million in allegedly unpaid royalties.
The complaint alleges Sony engaged in a pattern of financial reporting problems, including underreporting royalties, failing to report certain royalties, changing royalty statements years later, using incorrect royalty rates and improperly withholding payments.
The lawsuit also alleges Sony improperly used unrecouped balances, money a label claims is still owed from previous expenses, to offset royalty payments that should have been paid.
Kris Kross royalty dispute
One of the largest claims in the lawsuit involves Kris Kross, the Atlanta rap duo known for the 1992 hit “Jump.”
The complaint alleges Sony failed to properly report producer and override royalties from Kris Kross’ first two albums, Totally Krossed Out and Da Bomb.
According to the lawsuit, Sony did not provide royalty statements for those projects until 2023, and Dupri’s companies claim they are owed more than $2.2 million related to those recordings.
The complaint also alleges Sony later produced statements showing more than $33 million in foreign sales connected to Kris Kross royalty accounts and maintained those royalties in a separate accounting system that So So Def did not know existed.
Claims involving Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge
The lawsuit also details royalty disputes involving several other artists connected to Dupri and So So Def. Dupri claims So So Def is owed more than $10 million in interest on unpaid royalties tied to Xscape, Kris Kross and Da Brat projects.
For Xscape, the complaint alleges Sony underreported producer royalties from the group’s 1993 album “Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha” and owes more than $960,000 related to that project.
The lawsuit also alleges Sony underreported production-share royalties by more than $144,000 through incorrect calculations and underreported producer royalties from Xscape’s album “Off the Hook” by more than $22,000.
For Da Brat, the complaint alleges Sony underreported producer royalties from her 1994 album Funkdafied and owes more than $1 million related to that recording. The lawsuit also alleges additional royalties may be owed from her album “Anuthatantrum,” though damages have not been determined.
The lawsuit alleges Sony began reporting previously unreported royalties connected to Jagged Edge’s 1997 album “The Jagged Era” in statements issued in 2023. The complaint claims those statements only covered royalties dating back to 2007, leaving earlier royalties unaccounted for.
Dispute over Sony’s royalty practices
The complaint challenges Sony’s handling of unrecouped balances.
The lawsuit cites an Xscape account that showed an unrecouped balance of about $1.53 million as of 2020. Dupri’s companies allege Sony withheld more than $1 million in royalties generated between 2020 and 2024 because of that balance.
The plaintiffs argue those balances should have been forgiven under Sony Music’s 2021 Artists Forward Legacy Unrecouped Balance Program.
The lawsuit alleges Sony’s failure to apply the program resulted in approximately $1 million in payments that were not made. The complaint also identifies potential royalty issues involving artists and projects connected to So So Def, including: Mariah Carey, Usher, Bow Wow, Bone Crusher, Anthony Hamilton and more.
Dupri and his companies are seeking compensatory damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and a jury trial.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — After Atlanta hit 96 degrees with a heat index of 102 over the Fourth of July weekend, a City Council member is pushing legislation to formalize how the city responds when extreme heat threatens public health.
Atlanta typically opens cooling centers as temperatures climb, but Councilmember Kelsea Bond said the city lacks a consistent, codified process to ensure the same steps are taken each time extreme heat arrives.
“There’s not something that is cohesive in our code that says this is going to happen this way every single time,” said Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 at-large.
Bond’s proposed resolution would create a citywide heat safety plan. It calls for more cooling centers, expanded outreach to vulnerable residents and using a health-based measure such as HeatRisk to determine what resources are needed based on conditions.
“The many individuals that don’t have working A/C or don’t have adequate air conditioning — we want to make sure they are able to get relief,” Bond said.
Multiple council members have signed on in support, arguing the city needs to prepare for more frequent and intense heat as the climate warms.
“The weather’s not going to get any cooler with global warming, and so we want to be prepared,” Bond said.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
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