The Falcons used two first-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft on edge rushers, taking Georgia’s Jalon Walker with their eighth-overall pick and traded back into the first round to draft Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26.

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The moves put the pieces in place for the Falcons to make their defensive line one of the strongest in the league, but it is up to Smith to put it all together.

“You’ve got all these ingredients, and you’re just trying to throw it in a pot of gumbo and mix it all up and hopefully get it to tasting good,” Smith said.

Walker and Pearce Jr. are already making an impression on their coaches. The two participated in the Falcons’ rookie minicamp in the beginning of May, where they showcased their competitive grit. The former SEC athletes challenged the Falcons’ veterans, both on the field and in the classroom.

“Building that competition within the room has been awesome,” Smith said. “Whether it’s answering questions right — like who got the question right or wrong — who has the fastest get-off or things like that in practice right now, trying to create little competitive things. These guys all in a room, they’re all competitive, so that’s going to do nothing but make our team rise.”

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The rookies’ competitive drive stood out to Falcons personnel during the predraft process, which included watching tape from a lesser opponent, a competitive opponent and a rival opponent.

The goal was to see if the players rose to the occasion against higher competition — and Walker and Pearce Jr. passed with flying colors.

“I’ll always look at three things,” assistant head coach Jerry Gray said. “I’ll look at a game early in the year. I look at a game late in the year, and then I look at their rival game. To me, the NFL every week is a rival game. If I can get a guy playing at his best against their rival game, you’re pretty much going to do that when you get ready to go (to the NFL).”

The Falcons will begin organized team activities May 27 before reporting for mandatory minicamp June 9.