The Falcons heard the noise about their pass rush, and they’ve responded on draft night. Not only did they spend their first-round selection on Bulldogs star Jalon Walker. They pulled off a massive trade, sending their 2026 first-round pick and more to the Los Angeles Rams to move back into the first round and select Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr.
We have completed a trade with the Los Angeles Rams pic.twitter.com/O5Ki9aqo0u
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 25, 2025
Falcons tade back up into the 1st round and at #26 they are taking Tennessee Volunteers edge rusher James Pearce per league source.
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) April 25, 2025
For starters, that’s an absolute haul for the Falcons to give up for the 26th overall pick, but a move like this should be expected from a general manager who is undoubtedly on the hot seat going into the 2025 campaign. Terry Fontenot has not only missed the playoffs in all four of his seasons in Atlanta, but the Falcons haven’t even posted a winning record under his watch.
Atlanta had a clear and obvious goal in this draft: fix the pass rush. It’s hamstrung the organization for decades, and they aggressively addressed it by snagging two guys that can get after the passer as well as anyone in this draft class.
James Pearce Jr. is a bit of a wild card. He came into the 2024 season as a projected top 10 pick after recording 10 sacks as a sophomore, and while he didn’t quite produce at that rate as a junior, 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss is nothing to scoff at.
What really forced James Pearce to fall down draft boards were questions about his love for the game, a concern Falcons fans are all too familiar with dating back to their experience with Vic Beasley. There are also some concerns about his ability against the run, but the upside with Pearce must have really intrigued the Falcons.
Pearce stands at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds with 4.4-speed. He’s a freak of nature that’s more technically refined as a pass rusher than a lot of other prospects in this draft class, giving him an incredibly high ceiling the Falcons are hoping he can reach.
—
Photographer: Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire
