The Atlanta Falcons enter the offseason with one major area of emphasis – upgrading their pass rush. The Falcons’ pass rush failed to get the job done in 2024 despite having Matthew Judon and Grady Jarrett on the defensive line.
Atlanta finished the 2024 season ranked 31st in the league in sacks (31), which isn’t anything to write home about. In a division that features Baker Mayfield, Bryce Young, and Derek Carr, you must find a way to create pressure.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris understands the need and spoke about it this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN.
“This year," Morris said (h/t Falcons Digital Team Reporter Terrin Whack), "we probably got to increase our pass rush, like we did towards the end of the season. We'll definitely have an eye for those guys."
Luckily enough for the Falcons, this year’s draft class is deep on defense and multiple pass rushers could be selected in the first round. Since the Falcons have the No. 15 overall pick, one edge rusher who should be on their radar is James Pearce Jr. out of the University of Tennessee.
Pearce Jr. entered the 2024 season as one of the top defensive players in this year’s class and played like it with the Volunteers. The 6-foot-5 defensive lineman had 38 combined tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.
James Pearce Jr. has come alive in SEC play. Leads FBS defenders with a 23.3% pressure rate this year pic.twitter.com/rv0uo4ojrA
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 21, 2024
Pearce finished his three-year career at Tennessee with 30 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. The former University of Tennessee standout had a chance to showcase his skills at the combine, and he did not disappoint.
The 6-foot-5 defender showed out in the 40-yard dash, running a 4.47. He also ran a 4.5, which is nothing to overlook for a lineman at his size. When you look at Pearce’s 10-yard split, it was a ridiculous 1.58 seconds.
Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. runs the first sub-4.5 40 with a 4.47u 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2025
📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/b11jEyxYBi
With the Falcons likely going with a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, Pearce could be the perfect pick. When UIbrich was the defensive coordinator with the Jets, he worked with Will McDonald IV who is almost the same size (6-foot-4, 236 lbs) as Pearce.
New York took McDonald with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He started slow his rookie year with three sacks but emerged in his second year with 10.5 sacks. If Ulbrich can get his hands on a player with Pearce’s skillset, that would help the Falcons' defense in 2025.