Atlanta Falcons James Pearce Named 'Best Bet' for NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year

Atlanta Falcons first round selection James Pearce has been listed as a "best bet" to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

The 2025 NFL season is just months away as fans prepare to watch this year's rookie draft class. One of the biggest questions looming over the class is currently which rookies will take home the prestigious Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

According to CBS Sports, Atlanta Falcons EDGE rusher James Pearce is a player who possesses the "best value" to take home the award. Pearce was teh Falcons' second selection in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and has already created some tremendous buzz around his rookie season.

"Pearce is a sizable, athletic, refined and deceptively powerful outside rusher who demolished the SEC the past two seasons with a cumulative pressure rate over 21%." Wrote CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso. "I've written that statistic like 50 times the past four months, and I'm still astonished by it." 

According to Cesars Sportsbook, Pearce's odds to win the award currently sit at +1700 which is just inside the top 110 highest odds. Should the former Vol falsh early in his rookie season with the Falcons, Pearce's odds could climb tremendously.

Pearce and the Falcons will begin their 2025 regular season on Sunday, September 7th when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Atlanta. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be aired on FOX.