The Atlanta Falcons took the biggest risk of the 2025 NFL Draft. After drafting Jalon Walker with the 15th pick, they decided to trade back into the first round to select James Pearce Jr. at No. 26 overall.
At the time, Pearce’s selection was considered a huge gamble by a regime that no longer exists. Now, it’s a regret for a new leadership group that never had a choice in the matter.
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James Pearce Jr. Named Top Draft Miss Despite Big Rookie Year
Pearce is actually coming off one of the more impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory. Playing in all 17 games and making three starts, the young edge rusher accounted for 10.5 sacks — a franchise record — with 16 QB hits, five pass deflections and one forced fumble.
Despite all of those accolades, Pearce came in on Sports Illustrated’s biggest 2025 draft misses list at No. 4, according to Matt Verderame.
And it’s all due to his issues off the field.
“With Pearce, his being on this list has nothing to do with his on-field performance. After the Falcons traded a future first-round pick to move up and select Pearce out of Tennessee, the rookie edge rusher was a dominant force with 10.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits,” Verderame said.
“Then, in February, Pearce was arrested and faces three felonies, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and felony aggravated stalking of his ex-girlfriend and WNBA player Rickea Jackson. While the outcome of his legal situation is uncertain, Pearce’s off-field ugliness has cast a pall on his future.”
No matter how good Pearce’s stat line looked last season, it will be difficult for him to publicly recover from this incident considering all of the information that has been released. That, in turn, will make it extremely difficult for the Falcons or the NFL to allow him to play another down. Of course, a lot of that depends on the overall fallout of his legal issues.
Falcons Still Paying Price For Risky James Pearce Jr. Trade
Falcons new general manager Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski, along with president of football Matt Ryan, walked into a rather difficult situation from the beginning. They probably had barely set up their offices before Pearce’s arrest occurred.
Even though they probably never would have made such a move themselves, they likely could have lived with Pearce’s pick considering his performance last season. But his arrest changed all of that and only further enhanced the failures of past leaders Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris.
Cunningham has made it well known that the Falcons are attempting to find ways to add to their draft capital for the 2026 draft. They currently have just five picks, with their first not coming until the second round at No. 48 overall.
“For us, it’s one of those things where we have to go into this thinking we only have five picks. That’s worst case,” Cunningham said, via the team’s official website. “If we come out of it with just five picks, we come out of it with just five picks. We are already looking at different ways to potentially manufacture some more. But if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”
The biggest loss obviously is not having a first-round pick. The Falcons traded that to the Los Angeles Rams last year in order to move back into the first round and select Pearce.
The Rams now own what would have been the Falcons’ No. 13 overall pick.
“That’s the hand that we were dealt,” Cunningham said, “but we are going to try to figure out ways moving forward to create more opportunities, more swings at the plate moving forward.”
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