The Falcons have taken some heat for their aggressive approach to fixing an issue that has lingered with the team for years. Atlanta ranked 31st in sacks last year. In 2023, they ranked 21st. In 2022, they ranked 31st. Are you spotting the trend yet? In case you haven't, they ranked dead last in 2021.
Going into every offseason for the last several years, Falcons fans would see that familiar list of team needs with the same position on it. Atlanta has been desperate to improve the pass rush going all the way back to the previous coaching regime (and the one before that), and in one night, they may have finally found the solutions.
Falcons May Have Finally Found Their Solution to Pass Rush Woes
At pick 15, a prospect many experts expected to go in the top 10 fell into their laps, and the Falcons were all too eager to snag Jalon Walker. Bulldogs fans were already familiar with the All-American and Butkus Award winner out of Georgia. He was a force off the edge, with the versatility to play a number of positions along the front seven. Walker was also a captain in Kirby Smart's defense, which says plenty in and of itself. In the NFL, he can be a chess piece that Raheem Morris can deploy almost anywhere and keep offenses guessing.
However, the Falcons' brass knew that one rookie would not be enough to correct the weakness that has plagued the franchise. So they decided to double down.
Prior to the start of the 2024 season, many experts projected James Pearce Jr. to potentially be the number one overall pick the following year. Although his sack numbers decreased in his final year in Knoxville, it is a fallacy to believe that his impact was diminished. His pressure rate ranked behind only Abdul Carter in 2024, and he was the only prospect with a pressure rate over 20% in each of the previous two seasons. His eye-popping performance at the NFL combine displayed the kind of freakish athleticism all NFL defensive coordinators covet.
When the Rams were on the clock at number 26, Atlanta knew that Pearce was unlikely to fall much further. In fact, some had expected the Falcons to grab the high-ceiling EDGE at 15, but that had been with the assumption that Walker would be off the board. The Falcons had already done their homework on Pearce and recognized that he had as much upside as any defender in the draft. With that in mind, they pulled the trigger.
Yes, the price was high. No one will deny that. However, the value of the 2026 first-round pick the Falcons gave up will really be determined this season. If Penix plays up to expectations, and the defense improves as much as it should with the new additions, that pick may not be quite as valuable as it seemed at the time.
Now in late June, both Pearce and Walker are staking their claims to starting roles in camp. New free agent additions, Leonard Floyd and Divine Deablo, are also turning heads and giving fans glimpses of what could be an elite front seven in Atlanta. We won't know for sure until the season begins, but that trade may look a lot better soon. And NFC South quarterbacks should be nervous.