After adding two first round picks to the group, the Falcons suddenly have real upside here.
The Atlanta Falcons have struggled to get much of note out of their outside linebacker/EDGE group for far too long, which we’ve hashed, re-hashed, and re-re-hashed over the course of those years. That led to one of the most eyebrow-raising first rounds in Falcons draft history earlier this spring, with the team drafting Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker and trading back up to grab Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.
The net effect is that this group, minus grizzled veteran signing Leonard Floyd, is quite young and brimming with real potential. Arnold Ebiketie has put together a couple of strong second halfs and will be seeking more in a contract year, Walker and Pearce are itching to make their impact at the NFL level, and Bralen Trice is coming back from injury and hoping to make up for a lost rookie season. Even Khalid Kareem and DeAngelo Malone, the team’s depth options, are reasonably young players.
That all adds up to a promising position group, one that will hope to have Walker and Pearce as long-term options, Ebiketie as a potential and effective long-term third wheel if he plays well enough to prompt a re-sign, enough depth to weather any trials this season. While there’s a lot more potential than production here, it’s difficult not to get excited about the team’s investments in this group and what their young would-be stars might do in 2025.
Here’s a post-draft breakdown of the the outside linebacker group.
Lead options
Jalon Walker, Arnold Ebiketie, Leonard Floyd
Walker is set to be a key piece of this defense, even if we’re not entirely sure how often he’ll be coming off the EDGE versus playing off-ball linebacker. I’d lean toward a majority of his snaps landing here, given the team’s need for a relentless, capable pass rushing presence off the edge, and so I’m penciling him in as one of the team’s most-utilized options. Watching Walker grow into the role the Falcons envision for him, whatever it might be, should be one of the more enjoyable subplots of the 2025 season.
The other two options are more proven. Ebiketie was lights out at times in the second half of the 2024 season, but has only really put together effective stretches rather than a wholly effective campaign to this point in his career. He’s still the most seasoned and useful incumbent on this roster, capable of picking up at least six sacks and playing decent enough run defense to stay on the field on all downs when necessary. There’s more potential here—we can daydream about what might happen if Ebiketie came out of the gate hot in 2025—but the floor is reasonably high and Ebiketie has much to prove in a contract year.
Floyd, meanwhile, is a known commodity who knows Raheem Morris well after working with him when both were with the Rams. His best days are behind him and his production waned late last season, but Floyd offers the ability to generate pressure on a consistent basis, familiarity with the scheme, and a veteran presence in a very young room. At least early in the season, Floyd ought to play a lot, and should offer more pass rushing upside than Matthew Judon could in 2024.
Rotational players
James Pearce Jr., Bralen Trice
I’m not counting on Pearce playing a ton right away, which might lead to some grumbling given that he’s a first round selection the Falcons traded up for. What I think Pearce will do is play fairly consistently on third downs throughout the season, when he’ll be asked to run right at the quarterback and the first step and quickness the Falcons can’t stop talking about should help him to be a genuine problem. Long-term the Falcons will want a starter, but in year one the hope is that he’s making a major impact in more limited opportunities.
Trice is sort of the opposite, a player who if healthy should be on the field more often on early downs given his history of pass rushing production and rock solid college run defense. We still haven’t seen Trice play in an NFL regular season game, so projecting much more than 15-20 snaps per game seems unwise, but the well-rounded toolkit the Falcons liked in 2024 should give him a 2025 role if he’s healthy.
Reserves and roster hopefuls
Khalid Kareem, DeAngelo Malone
Kareem played very sparingly a year ago, appearing in just two games. In those two games, though, he had three pressures on 11 pass rushing snaps and was a useful run defender besides. There’s enough size, physicality, and ability here to think Kareem is an absolute lock for the practice squad and a decent bet for a final roster spot if he can beat out Malone.
And for Malone, it’s a tougher road than it has been in the past. The former third rounder had his moments as a pass rusher a year ago—six pressures and two sacks in 60 pass rushing snaps—but missed tackles and was up-and-down both in coverage and against the run. The team touts his ability on special teams, which may be enough to land him on the final roster yet again, but this is a more crowded room and Kareem is lurking.