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James Pearce Jr. continues to shine during early stages of training camp

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NFL: Atlanta Falcons Minicamp
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The promising first round pass rusher looks the part so far.

Over the past three NFL Drafts, the Atlanta Falcons have made headlines, and not always for positive reasons. There was swift and fierce criticism for the team’s first round picks each of the last three years, including:

2023 – Drafting Bijan Robinson instead of Jalen Carter

2024 – Drafting Michael Penix, Jr. after already paying Kirk Cousins $100 million

2025 – Giving up a 2026 1st round pick to jump back into the 1st and selecting James Pearce, Jr.

Each pick sparked immediate backlash. But zoom out, and the early results tell a different story:

Since entering the league, Bijan Robinson ranks third in total yards from scrimmage (3,350), trailing only Derrick Henry (3,495) and Saquon Barkley (3,525). He also leads all running backs in receptions over that span, with 158.

Once Michael Penix, Jr. took the reins in Week 16 of the 2024 season, the Falcons’ offense took off:

  • #1 in success rate over the final three weeks
  • 7th in EPA/play during that stretch (compared to 15th in EPA/play under Cousins)
  • +12.5 points per game increase with Penix under center

Now, with training camp heating up, it’s James Pearce, Jr. generating the buzz — flashing the burst, bend, and motor that made Atlanta aggressive enough to move up. And once again, it’s starting to feel like the noise that followed his pick might’ve been just that. Noise.

After posting 10 sacks in 2023 as a Tennessee Volunteer, the 6’5”, 243-pound edge rusher entered the 2024 draft cycle with real buzz as a potential No. 1 overall pick. But questions about his motor and consistency began to surface — whispers about intensity, focus, and whether he’d bring it every snap.

That slide opened the door for Atlanta. The Falcons made a bold move, packaging their 2026 first-rounder, a 2025 second, and a seventh to jump back into Round 1 and grab Pearce near the end of Day 1.

So far? It’s very early, but he’s making them look smart.

Pearce has turned heads in camp not just with his explosiveness — which is as advertised — but with an edge to his game that’s sparked a few post-whistle dustups. Coaches aren’t complaining. Fans certainly aren’t either.

Across social media and camp reports, the early buzz is growing:

Those early impressions have to translate into regular season results, but the tantalizing talent is very much there for Pearce.