Not too long ago, maybe as recently as last August, there was a thought that Tennessee Volunteers defensive end James Pearce Jr. could’ve been the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Charlotte, North Carolina native exploded onto the scene during his sophomore season, notching 28 tackles, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown for a Vols defense that held six of their 13 opponents to 14 points or less.
But Pearce’s numbers dipped slightly in his junior season, and to make matters worse, the alliterative two words that could easily derail even the highest-tier prospects started popping up in conversations regarding the Volunteers' edge rusher… characters concerns.
As a result of those concerns, Pearce fell all the way to the 26th pick, but Atlanta, who had already selected another SEC edge rusher – Georgia’s Jalon Walker – paid a hefty price to get back into the 1st Round. It was viewed as a gamble on talent, but behind the scenes, the Falcons felt as though Pearce was more misunderstood than anything else.
"Fell in love with the guy and who he is," Falcons coach Raheem Morris said of Pearce, according to Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated. "His buy-in; really smart, sharp, articulate guy, asks a lot of questions," Morris said. "One of those guys that's going to be very intentional about how he speaks to you. So, when he's talking to you, he's going to talk direct, he's going to look you in the eye. When you are with him, intentional, direct, you get the best out of him."
After the Falcons completed their second day of mandatory minicamp, it wasn’t just Raheem Morris who was singing the talented rookie’s praises.
"James is a great guy," fellow rookie Jalon Walker said. "James has a great personality. He opens up when he wants to. I appreciate the relationship I have here with him."
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"Solid dude, hard worker right now, and just being a sponge," veteran cornerback A.J. Terrell added. "He’s just somebody who comes in with good energy every day."
Combining good energy with his natural talent, Pearce is expected to have a clearly defined role within the Falcons defensive scheme right away this season. He’ll likely be splitting edge rushing reps with Walker, Leonard Floyd, Arnold Ebiketie, and 2024 3rd Round pick Bralen Trice, who didn’t see any action last season due to a torn ACL.
