Falcons' Raheem Morris prioritized drafting D-Linemen after 'getting grilled' over pass rush woes

Last season, the Atlanta Falcons tried to boost their pass rush by acquiring Matthew Judon to pair with Grady Jarrett, but the move didn’t seem to help, as they still ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks. Despite the struggles, the Falcons were in a strong position to win their division—however, things didn’t turn out that way.

Now, the Falcons are doing everything they can to fix the problem. In fact, Atlanta took direct action during the NFL Draft. The team didn’t just make one first-round selection, but two. The first pick was Georgia product Jalon Walker, marking a historic moment for the franchise.

“This is the first time in franchise history that the Falcons have taken a University of Georgia player in the first round,” wrote Daniel Flick.

The next pick was Tennessee’s James Pearce, who just a year ago was projected to be the No. 1 overall pick. Atlanta traded up to draft Pearce despite previous character concerns.

“In the end, after sitting down with Pearce and a slew of people from his past, the team saw a guy who loves football, is hyper-competitive and has smarts, and the Falcons were willing to bet on Morris’s program to help him grow up,” Albert Breer wrote.

On Friday, head coach Raheem Morris explained the motivation behind drafting two defensive linemen expected to make an immediate impact.

“Raheem Morris says he was tired of getting grilled for the lack of a pass rush for the Falcons, and they were intentional about fixing that this offseason,” Will McFadden wrote. "That's got to change, and the only way to change that is to change that."

The Falcons had become a league-wide punchline when it came to pass rushing. Morris identified the issue, and like any determined head coach, took action to address it. Heading into the season, the Falcons now feature some of the most exciting young defensive talent in the NFL.