How James Pearce Fits With Atlanta Falcons

How Tennessee Vols EDGE James Pearce fits with the

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft kicked off at 8 PM ET on Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Tennessee Volunteers have a handful of prospects that are waiting to hear their name called and the first player just came off the board. The Atlanta Falcons have selected EDGE James Pearce in the first round of the draft.

Pearce certainly addresses a need for the Falcons. The organization has lacked pass rushing over the years now they have selected two players at the position. Jalon Walker out of Georgia was selected at 15th overall.

Pearce still has some room to grow and has a lot of upside. The Falcons traded up in the draft to get him, so they obviously saw somehting that they really liked. He can be an immediate play for the Falcons and can help bolster a spot on the roster that has been lacking over the years.

Pearce was a star player for the Volunteers on defense. He surged onto the college football scene during the 2023 season. During that season, he accumulated 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 28 total tackles. Over his career, he racked up 19.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss and 71 total tackles.

There was some speculation of whether or not Pearce would go in the first round of this year's draft, partially due to how loaded the EDGE class is this year. However, Pearce's upside proved to be too good to pass up within the first 32 picks.