James Pearce lands with the Atlanta Falcons with the 26th pick

James Pearce didn’t have to wait until Friday after all. The Pearce camp was likely starting to get nervous, but then the Atlanta Falcons swooped in and grabbed the Tennessee pass rusher with the 26th overall pick.

The Falcons gave up a haul to get him too, including next year’s first round pick and this year’s second, which will now be owned by the Los Angeles Rams. Interestingly enough, the Falcons took another edge rusher, Jalon Walker out of Georgia, with the 15th overall pick. So Atlanta double dips here, trying to fix their pass rush for the next several seasons.

Pearce is a can’t miss prospect athletically, at one time considered a contender to go with the No. 1 overall pick. However, production dipped in 2024 as Pearce received more attention. Still, Pearce was second in the SEC with 55 total pressure during his junior season.

His 6-5, 247 pound frame might come off a little lean, but Pearce will immediately bring his fast ball to Atlanta’s edge on passing downs. Pearce put up a 4.4 in the 40 yard dash at nearly 250 pounds, driving home that explosiveness that everyone has seen on tape.

Tennessee should see Omarr Norman-Lott, Dylan Sampson and Dont’e Thornton Jr. come off the board over the next two days.