There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Atlanta Falcons during the 2025 season. Michael Penix enters the season as the unquestioned starter, and the offense should be among the most exciting in the league. The Falcons also grabbed two defensive backs in the NFL Draft who have won starting jobs and will be on the field in Week 1.
But the one move that still doesn’t make sense to this day is trading a future first-round pick to go up and select James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee. While that isn’t a shot at Pearce, who is a very talented prospect, the Falcons aren’t ready to take that type of risk as a franchise.
The Falcons had great clarity this offseason when it came to addressing their most significant needs. They knew they had to improve their defense, specifically their pass rush. That is why it’s impossible to hate the idea of drafting Jalon Walker and James Pearce.
The trade for James Pearce Jr was too short-sighted
But what makes this weird is that Pearce wasn't the cleanest prospect coming out of Tennessee. There were some clear off-field issues combined with the fact that he was just a part-time player in college. There are some real concerns about his ability to stop the run, but the Falcons are banking on him being an elite pass rusher after posting big-time sack numbers in the SEC.
However, the Falcons still have too many holes on their roster to be giving away future draft picks, especially, first-round picks. The goal is to obviously win right now, but the Falcons aren’t even the favorites in the NFC South, which is widely regarded as the worst division in the NFC.
The only teams that should be giving up future first-round picks are playoff contenders who want to take the next step and become Super Bowl contenders. But the Falcons believe that the youth and explosiveness of Walker and Pearce can be a force multiplier for the rest of their defense.
There is no doubt that Atlanta wanted to get younger and more athletic on defense, and they accomplished that this offseason. But giving up that much draft capital for two undersized pass rushers seems to be “too” aggressive.
Could it ultimately work out for Atlanta? Of course. If Walker and/or Pearce hit in a big way, no one is going to care about the 2026 first-round pick that they traded. And if this move propels the Falcons to the top of the NFC South and into the playoffs, it’s going to be hard to criticize the move in any shape or form.
But this isn’t the type of move that an 8-9 football team usually makes, and that’s why it’ll go down as their weirdest decision of the offseason.