Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are proving their worth on the Falcons defense this season

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the NFL’s longest active playoff droughts at seven years. Only the New York Jets have a longer postseason drought at 14 years running. The thing that’s hurt the Falcons the most over this seven-year span has been their inability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

After years of consistently falling short in this regard, the team made sure to go all in during the 2025 NFL draft, selecting two edge rushers in the first round. The Falcons drafted Georgia’s Jalon Walker with their initial pick, but then traded back into the first round for Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr.

While this move divided many in the fan base and media, it could pay off for Atlanta in the long run if Pearce pans out. Thus far, the former Volunteer has lived up to the hype as a player who consistently generates pressure off the edge.

Walker has come on strong over the last two weeks since returning from injury.. For the season, the former Bulldog has recorded four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Pearce has 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Atlanta’s two first-round picks are the only rookies in the NFL to record a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery this season.

So, how do we grade the Falcons move to trade up for Pearce? If they felt the need to double up at the edge position, then surely there’s a high chance that’s also where they would’ve gone in next year’s draft. So the consideration that needs to be made is, how does Pearce stack up against the edge rushers we will see next April?

If the Falcons miss out on a chance at a generational talent next year, the decision to trade away their pick will obviously sting. However, the opposite will be true if Pearce continues to ascend and eventually signs a second contract in Atlanta.

Regardless, if the Falcons fail to make the postseason, there’s a real chance that both head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot could lose their jobs. That would leave the next regime to take over without a great draft spot.

Atlanta needs to show improvement over the final eight games, but the defensive pass rush in particular has been the strength of this team.