Atlanta Falcons fans may not have liked the move at the time, but Terry Fontenot's gutsy decision to trade up for James Pearce Jr. looks better with each passing week. Even with the expensive cost of a 2026 first-round pick, the 21-year-old looks like a budding star for a rejuevenated Falcons' pass rush.
Jalon Walker might have been the EDGE rusher the Dirty Birds selected first, but Pearce has been far better. In the 29-28 comeback victory over the Buccaneers, the Tennessee product's sack streak continued for a sixth straight game, as he managed to sack Baker Mayfield twice on the evening.
Through 15 weeks, the first-round rookie leads the team (and all rookies) with eight sacks, as his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign is becoming impossible to ignore. And for all of the Carson Schwesinger DROY talk, the impact of a stat like sacks always trumps tackles and tackles for loss.
James Pearce Jr. just cemented himself as the Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner
It was a slow start to his rookie season for Pearce , but now that he's comfortable, he's here to stay. The All-SEC pass-rusher might have eight sacks on the season, but 7.5 of those have come in the last six games, which is a testament to how impactful he's been for Jeff Ulbrich's defense recently.
Moreover, not only is eight sacks with three games left to play impressive enough, he broke the Falcons' rookie record for sacks in a single season in the win. And while it got overshadowed by Kyle Pitts' own record-breaking evening in Tampa Bay, it doesn't make what he's done any less impressive.
Pearce now has the rookie franchise record for most sacks in a season with eight. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) December 12, 2025
The 26th overall pick in April's draft has managed to surpass both Walker and Abdul Carter to crown himself as the undisputed best pass-rusher in the draft class. Last week, he tied a rookie record Micah Parsons helped set, and he could reach an unprecedented double-digit sacks as a rookie.
The unfortunate part of the story is that Pearce isn't even getting the amount of national attention he should. Rookie pass-rushers are always a big deal, but since the Falcons are sitting at 5-9 and eliminated from playoff contention, his sensational rookie season has managed to go overlooked.
Pearce added two tackles for loss and two passes defensed in what is likely the best game of his career. And he continues to make the price of the trade up to get him sting less every week, while making Fontenot look like a genius since it's clear he has yet to scratch the surface of his potential.