A well-traveled defensive tackle who played for four different colleges before the Falcons drafted him in the sixth round.
Anterio Thompson's path to the NFL wound through a junior college title, a brief stop at Iowa, a season at Western Michigan and finally a senior year at Washington. Atlanta took a chance on the explosive but undersized interior lineman in the sixth round of the 2026 draft.
Path to the league
Thompson began his college career at Iowa Western Community College, where he helped the team win a junior college title, before transferring to Iowa, then Western Michigan, and finally Washington for his senior season. The Falcons selected him with the 208th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Thompson posted 32 tackles and six sacks as a freshman at Iowa Western in 2022 to help the team to a junior college championship, then blocked two punts during a limited role at Iowa in 2023. He impressed at Washington's pro day with a 4.73-second 40-yard dash and 30 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, and his history of three career blocked punts helped raise his draft profile.
2025 season recap
In his lone season at Washington, Thompson made three starts across 12 games and finished with 30 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, giving scouts a fresh look at his interior pass-rush ability before the draft.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Anterio Thompson
- Atlanta Falcons: Falcons select DT Anterio Thompson with pick No. 208 in 2026 NFL Draft
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Washington
- Hometown
- Dubuque, IA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
