Atlanta swung for the fences twice when it selected two edge rushers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The position was the Falcons' greatest weakness last season, so it made plenty of logical sense on paper. But the Falcons see greater potential in at least one of their edge rushers: Tennessee's James Pearce Jr., the 26th overall pick.
"His demonstrated win-rate, his demonstrated bag of moves whether it's beating you with his 4.4 speed of the edge or his ability to counter," defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said, via the team’s official site. "That, and I don't think he gets enough credit for the amount of power that he has in his body as well.
"He's got the full arsenal. Can we improve it? There's no doubt. But the starting point is so much better than most."
Pearce was a five-star recruit out of high school and earned consecutive All-SEC honors in 2023 and 2024, placing him firmly in the spotlight. But collegiate achievement isn't the end goal, it's merely the starting point for most aspiring NFL prospects.
Ulbirch believes Pearce has the toolkit necessary to make a difference for his defense, a unit that has welcomed plenty of turnover up front. Gone are Grady Jarrett and Matt Judon, and in step Leonard Floyd, Pearce and fellow first-rounder Jalon Walker, among others. Pearce is projected to land behind Floyd, but as Ulbrich sees it, he'll make his mark before long.
"There is a natural fit there," Falcons area scout Ryan Doyal explained. "Just because (Ulbrich) is looking for guys who get up the field quickly, that have explosion, that have twitch, that have burst, and can finish and close to the quarterback. James is all of those things.
"Ulbrich wants juice coming off the edge, and James comes screaming off the edge. So, if you're looking for that guy who really changes the count and tempo of how teams have to play us, that's where James fits in."
The expectations are clearly high for Pearce in Atlanta in 2025.
"He's a guy," outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith said, "who is going to be a force to be reckoned with."