The James Pearce Jr. hype appears to be real

Given Jalon Walker’s relation to the state of Georgia due to his success just down the road in Athens, the hype surrounding the Falcons 15th overall draft pick was unprecedented. Unfortunately, Walker has dealt with several muscle injuries leading up to the season, keeping him sidelined for most of training camp and forcing him to miss the Falcons second preseason contest.

However, those concerns have been rather easily overlooked thus far because the Falcons second pick in the first round — James Pearce Jr. — has been wrecking havoc ever since he strapped up the pads as a professional.

Pearce began making headlines early in training camp, but not for the reasons most rookies do. The buzz came from a few scuffles — usually a red flag for a first-year player — but in this case, the reports out of Flowery Branch suggested the fights were a direct result of Pearce dominating whoever lined up across from him.

The hype train was strong for the 26th overall selection coming into the preseason, and his performance over the first two games has added even more fuel to the fire. He’s been fantastic rushing the passer, recording seven pressures with a 21.1% pass rush win rate.