The Atlanta Falcons haven’t made the playoffs since the 2017 NFL season, and the pressure is on head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot to end the drought in 2025. The team went into the offseason with one big hole on offense and several questions marks on defense.

Since the Falcons were short on resources, they could only afford to sign a few minor free agents and focused their energy on the 2025 NFL draft. Fans were hoping to see the team leave the draft with at least one quality starter, but Atlanta found three potential difference makers in Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts.

Advertisement

In our recent Falcons lineup projection, we listed two rookies — Walker and Pearce — as starters, but it’s possible there could be as many as three first-year players in the starting lineup.

Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 NFL rosters ahead of the 2025 NFL season in a new feature which included projected starting lineups for each team. The Falcons ranked 16th on PFF’s list, and three rookies were projected to start:

Falcons projected starting lineup, per PFF

The only difference between our starting lineup projection and PFF’s was the strong safety position. We have veteran Jordan Fuller, who previously played for Falcons head coach Raheem Morris during their time in Los Angeles, starting next to Jessie Bates. PFF has rookie Xavier Watts, the playmaking safety out of Notre Dame, as the other starter.

Advertisement

It’s certainly possible that Watts will earn a starting role in Atlanta this season. If not, Morris will find ways to get Watts on the field, whether it’s with three-safety looks or playing him at nickel. As for the team’s rookie to watch, PFF highlighted Pearce.

“The Falcons need to pressure opposing quarterbacks, and few rookies are better equipped to do so than James Pearce Jr,” wrote PFF’s Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman. “Over the past two seasons at Tennessee, Pearce racked up 107 pressures and 21 sacks. He’s exactly the type of athletic outside linebacker that Raheem Morris covets in his defense, which is likely the reason the team gave up a 2026 first-round pick to acquire him. Expect Pearce to get reps early and often.”

Walker will likely have an impact this season as well, however, Pearce’s role is a little more clearly defined since he’s a true edge rusher. Regardless of who starts for the Falcons this season, they need to show improvement to end their seven-year playoff drought.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons starting lineup: PFF projects 3 rookies to start in 2025