We have not had an NFL Draft like this in quite a while for the Atlanta Falcons. Dirty Bird Nation is buzzing on Friday morning. It could be me being totally sleep deprived ahead of my second cross-country flight to Phoenix this month, but I could not be happier with what my beloved Dirty Birds did on Thursday night in Green Bay! I have to give general manager Terry Fontenot a ton of credit for this.
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, it seemed as though Atlanta was destined to take either Marshall Thundering Herd edge rusher Mike Green or Tennessee Volunteers pass rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 15. When Fontenot saw local product in Butkus Award winner Jalon Walker out of Georgia fall, he knew exactly what to do. He gave the people what they wanted and got them a Dawg for the Falcons!
As if that was not enough, Fontenot traded back up into the first round to take another bite at the pass-rushing apple. He may have given up the farm for the Los Angeles Rams' pick at No. 26, but Pearce was still on the board, and Fontenot could not help himself. Had Pearce been the pick at No. 15, I would have been as soul crushed as Cody Williams was after the Dallas Cowboys' pick at No. 12.
But with Walker and Pearce in tote, the Falcons may finally have a pass rush since I could legally drink!
Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. will bolster Atlanta Falcons' pass rush
It has been a painfully long time since Atlanta had a pass rush worth a damn. Occasionally, they might have a year where it kind of sort of works. That was a low-key part of their unexpected Super Bowl run back in 2016. Then again, Dwight Freeney is one of the greatest to ever do it. The Falcons somehow lucked into getting him for a year. All he did was give Vic Beasley the answers on the test that season.
So with the additions of Walker and Pearce, Atlanta now has a bevy of pieces it came move all around the chessboard with its pass rush. Keep in mind the Falcons signed another former Georgia star in Leonard Floyd in free agency. Arnold Ebiketie is back for at least one more year. The Falcons have not gotten a single snap out of last spring's third-round pick in one Bralen Trice. The more, the merrier!
Overall, it is abundantly clear that the Falcons are going for broke this season. They have to make the playoffs. While it remains to be seen what becomes of Kirk Cousins as an overpaid part of their quarterback room, the pieces are really starting to come together. Fontenot likes this team. Raheem Morris likes this team. And against my better judgement, I am really starting to like this team as well.
One player cannot be panacea, but two players coming in to solve a team's biggest need is massive.