James Pearce Jr.'s career got off to a shaky start, but has been taking the NFL by storm as of late. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Falcons' 4-9 record has overshadowed his stardom, but the 21-year-old pass rusher has dazzled across his last five games by tallying 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
After the Falcons selected Jalon Walker, the decision to trade a king's ransom to trade back into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft for Pearce was met with controversy. Some even thought the move would be what finally got Terry Fontenot fired, but the selection has instead paid off in a massive way.
Through 13 weeks, Pearce and Walker are tied for the league lead in sacks among all rookies with five apiece, and have completely reinvented Atlanta's pass rush. The Tennessee product's sheer explosiveness has him looking like a true Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner, which is exactly what Falcons fans were hoping to see after such a controversial trade-up.
James Pearce Jr.'s dominant stretch is making the Falcons look vindicated after their controversial draft-day trade
Atlanta sent second and seventh-rounders in 2025 and 2026 first-round pick to Los Angeles for the No. 26 overall pick in 2025, used to select Pearce, and a 2025 third-round pick. And with that third-rounder, the Dirty Birds selected Xavier Watts with the 101st pick—and he's shined in his own right.
While the trade for Pearce has the Falcons' young-pass rush atop the sack leaderboard, Watts is leading all rookies in interceptions and is even generating some buzz in Pro Bowl voting. The Notre Dame product was a two-time All American in South Bend, and is making the benefits of the trade two-fold.
However, this trade is proof as to why any average joe can't be an NFL GM. For as much as Fontenot has done wrong in his five seasons running the show in Atlanta the 44-year-old did this right, as the pass-rush was an obvious area of need, he got aggressive in his pursuit to improve a clear weakness.
In the Week 14 loss to the Seahawks, his five-game sack streak continued with a takedown of Sam Darnold, but he came inches away from tackling Darnold in the end zone for a safety. He briefly exited the game, but returned and also impressed by coming eerily close to a multi-sack game in Week 13.
It isn't perfect, but the two-time All SEC pass-rusher has improved each week. Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesinger remains the DROY frontrunner, but Pearce's impressive end to the season that has him in the elite company of Micah Parsons is giving him a true run for his money.