Most quarterbacks his age are fighting for a second contract in the pros. However, things are a little different for 25-year-old Haynes King, who entered the draft after multiple impressive seasons with Georgia Tech. He is just trying to get drafted, and he’s sparked a battle between two division rivals in the process.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, King will be taking 30 visits to the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. Due to his age, King has been projected as a potential late-round or undrafted candidate in the upcoming draft class.

The idea behind the top 30 visits is that NFL teams may host up to 30 players for interviews and medical evaluations on their campuses. And it is interesting to see King pay visits to two NFL teams even when his age has not worked in his favor. 

At age 25, King is older than the average draft prospect. And despite his impressive stint with Georgia Tech, it is one reason why his draft stock is not as high as it should be. Rather than go for King, NFL franchises seem to be favoring drafting younger prospects. But the former Georgia Tech quarterback has shown the leadership in his college career that you won’t get from a rookie QB in the pros. 

King, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and was placed 10th in voting for the Heisman Trophy, set a Georgia Tech single-season record with 3,920 yards of total offense, with 2,967 passing yards and 953 rushing yards in 2025. He also accounted for 29 touchdowns and completed 69.8% of his passes. In his 46 college games, he completed 65.6 percent of his throws for 9,486 yards with 65 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He also rushed 471 times for 2,427 yards with 37 touchdowns.

At the NFL Combine, King posted a 4.46 40-yard dash, a super impressive time for a quarterback, which was the second-best time at this year’s combine and the sixth- fastest time for a quarterback in history.

He built on his Combine performance at the 2026 Georgia Tech Pro Day on March 13, showcasing precise accuracy with only two incompletions during passing drills. He excelled in deep-ball accuracy and throws, notably hitting receivers in stride on post routes. Aside from his passing, his running game was so good that he had to insist on being used as a quarterback, shutting down ideas of deploying him elsewhere.

“Like I have done today, I came out here and competed and threw it well. Everybody knows I’m very athletic, and especially after the 40, you know, they probably jotted that down a little bit that I can run. But as long as I came out here on Pro Day and balled out, threw it well, came out good. Every now and then, they mentioned it, but for the most part, I feel like I’m a quarterback. I’m going to compete as a quarterback. Obviously, you know, if you’re in mid-season and stuff like that and you’re low in numbers somewhere, like I’m whatever’s for the team,” King said. 

King is undoubtedly talented, and it is only appropriate that his talent finds expression on the biggest football platform. Anything other than a draft would see King bid football goodbye, but that does not look likely with the Falcons involved.

Falcons emerge as King’s favorite destination

Between the two, the Falcons seem to have a good chance of winning him over. The Falcons’ president of football, Matt Ryan, met and spoke with King on Georgia Tech’s Pro Day, and King could not help but admit the warmth he got from the former QB.

“Yeah. I shook his hand and met him. We had a pretty good conversation as well, encouraging and whatnot, but you know, very nice guy. Y’all know what he’s done in the league, and it’s just an honor just to be able to shake his hand.” 

Just like it plays out in college football recruitment, where proximity is a huge factor in players’ decision-making, the Atlanta Falcons have the proximity advantage as well. 

Regarding the top 30 visits, players who live in or attend college in the local area do not count toward that limit. King would count as a local visit for Atlanta since Georgia Tech is in the metro area. Settling in would also be a seamless process if he eventually lands in Atlanta.

With the Falcons, King would have to be at his best to find a place for himself amid the trio of quarterbacks: Trevor Siemian, Tua Tagovailoa, and Michael Penix Jr. It would be tougher with the Panthers, who have their quarterback room more figured out.