Falcons land steal of the draft at No. 27 overall in 2025 NFL Mock Draft

The 2024 Atlanta Falcons draft class is looking like one of the worst in recent NFL history. It took a month to get Ruke Orhorhoro on the field, Michael Penix Jr. has been rooted to the bench, and Bralen Trice tore his ACL. Hopefully, Terry Fontenot will do better with a second crack at things in 2025.

The Falcons seem to have something figured out on offense, as Kirk Cousins is starting to look more like the guy who put up gaudy numbers in Minnesota. The defense has a solid secondary, albeit with depth issues, but the defensive line leads a lot to be desired.

Going back to the end of the Dan Quinn era, Atlanta has struggled to rush the passer. CBS Sports seems to think that Atlanta may pick up a stroke of extremely good fortune if they keep winning games, as a future Pro Bowler will fall into their laps.

In the most recent mock draft from CBS Sports, the Falcons, picking No. 27 overall in this exercise, are selecting Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. Considering what a highly-touted prospect Pearce was before the season, there's a good chance this ends up being the best pick of the entire draft.

Atlanta Falcons select Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr. in 2025 NFL Mock Draft

Multiple mock drafts had Pearce being picked as high as No. 1 overall in the immediate aftermath of the 2024 NFL Draft. While sliding to Atlanta at No. 27 overall would be too far for Pearce, there is a good chance he is available in the middle of the first round.

With just 1.5 sacks and a handful of tackles to his name this year, Pearce hasn't necessarily taken that next step. That doesn't change the fact, however, that he has incredibly impressive speed, bend, and explosion that will make him an immediate challenge for NFL offensive tackles.

With the Matt Judon situation up in the air and the Trice injury showing just how thin Atlanta is outside of Judon on the edges, the Falcons will likely target a pass rusher at some point. Raheem Morris doesn't seem to like rookies, but Pearce could be an exception to his rule.

The Falcons are a win-now team, but they need one more young, draftable star to turn their defense from a good one to a great one. Pearce getting to pick No. 7, let alone 27, would be a slam dunk for Fontenot.