The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview, and the Falcons are still making headlines.

It began with the first shock of the evening, Jalon Walker falling out of the top 10 and into Atlanta’s laps. Nobody in their wildest dreams thought that a talent like Walker would fall to the 15th pick.

The Falcons did the right thing and took the best player available, even if they had their eye on another pass rusher from the SEC — James Pearce Jr. That’s where the excitement began.

Terry Fontenot gave up a first-round pick to move up 20 picks to land the talented yet risky pass rusher, a move many people have criticized since the day it happened.

“What concerns me is they gave up a first-rounder for a player with character concerns,” an NFC executive said, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Pearce is the definition of a boom-or-bust prospect. The production and talent are there. He was built in a football laboratory, running a 4.47 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds. He also logged 17.5 sacks and 28 tackles for loss in his final two seasons at Tennessee. Leading the toughest conference in sacks is notable, to say the least.

The only issue?

“Pearce was considered a divisive figure in the draft process. Sources told ESPN that Pearce was off multiple teams’ draft boards because of maturity concerns,” Fowler writes.

The Falcons have notably passed on talented prospects that have had red flags, most notably Jalen Carter in favor of choir boy Bijan Robinson. That was Arthur Smith. This is Raheem Morris, who has been heralded as an all-time players’ coach.

“He’s a fun player to watch,” a veteran AFC scout told Fowler. “Very explosive. I think Raheem [Morris] will do a good job relating to him and keeping him on track. He will need to have a plan for him.”

If Morris can get the absolute most out of James Pearce Jr., the Falcons may have found their first consistent double-digit sack artist since John Abraham.

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Photographer: Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire