The Atlanta Falcons entered the 2025 NFL Draft with a glaring need for pass-rushing help, which fueled the club’s moves to select Jalon Walker with the 15th overall pick and then trade up to the 26th overall pick for James Pearce Jr. It’s been viewed as a controversial move around the league.
Speaking to Mike Sando of The Athletic, NFL executives were split on the Falcons’ decision to trade a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Pearce Jr. As one executive explained, it’s an especially big gamble because of the character concerns surrounding the former Tennessee Volunteers pass rusher.
Related: NFL defense rankings 2025, see where the Atlanta Falcons land
“I don’t know how many boards James Pearce was on. Maybe they had to get ahead of Kansas City or Philadelphia or another team that might take fliers on character risks. It just felt like a very steep price to pay for somebody who likely would have been there in Round 2.”
Anonymous NFL executive to The Athletic on Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr
Related: Atlanta Falcons disciplined for prank calls
As Sando noted, multiple teams had enough character concerns with Pearce Jr. that he was off their board entirely. Notably, the issues teams had with Pearce’s character focused more on his attitude and ‘on-field drive’ than on an off-field arrest for disobeying law enforcement in 2023.
Pearce Jr. also seemed to be an outlier in a Falcons draft class that executives praised for having a lot of talented and ‘high character’ guys who were added to the locker room. Another exec offered more of a defense of the move, explaining the rationale the Falcons’ front office likely had for it.
“I’m sure the way they are rationalizing it is, ‘We gave up a first next year to get a first this year, and we basically did that for moving back from the second to the third. If you look at that objectively, it’s not as bad as it sounds. People overlook getting the third back from the Rams as part of the deal.”
Second NFL executive on the Atlanta Falcons trading a 2026 first-round pick to draft James Pearce Jr
Related: NFL power rankings 2025, find out where the Atlanta Falcons placed
While that rationale makes sense, it was still a very aggressive move by Atlanta. It’s also a gamble on a player who many projected as a second-round pick, in part because he can only be a designated pass rusher in his rookie season.
The Falcons are banking on Pearce Jr. and Walker overhauling their pass rush, providing the juice this defense has missed for years now. If Atlanta misses the playoffs next season with their pass rush once again disappointing, though, the absence of a first-round pick could be especially costly.
