Falcons Rookie Class Heavily Underrated in Latest ESPN Ranking

The Atlanta Falcons welcomed five rookies in 2025, and their impact was immediate.  Two of them led all rookies in a major statistical category, three of them were top two in a major category and four of them played significant snaps for Atlanta this season. 

Despite all this success, they were ranked sixth in ESPN’s rankings of all 32 teams’ rookie classes. Of the five teams ahead of Atlanta, two were its NFC South rivals: the New Orleans Saints (ranked No. 1) and the Carolina Panthers (No. 5). 

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, who wrote the list, criticized the Falcons class for its lack of depth.

“Atlanta's rookie class was top-heavy rather than deep, as no other rookies had much playing time,” he writes. 

The Falcons traded their second-round pick and their seventh-round pick, along with their 2026 first-round pick, to trade up and select James Pearce Jr. and a third-round pick, which would later become Xavier Watts. Due to those trades, Atlanta only had five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, to fault the Falcons for lack of depth, when Schatz never mentioned that as a criterion in his rankings, is ludicrous.

“Below, we're taking a look at all 32 rookie classes in the NFL and ranking the value of their contributions in 2025. We want to emphasize that this list is based only on how much production teams got out of their rookies in their first season -- it's not predictive,” he writes.

Based on 2025 production, the Falcons should be first. They got four starters, or at the very least four major contributors, out of their rookie class.

Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. led all rookies in sacks with 10.5. It was the most sacks of any rookie league-wide since Micah Parsons 13.0 in 2021. The only active players with more sacks in their rookie season were Parsons, Bradley Chubb (12.0) and Von Miller (11.5). Not to mention, Pearce tied Parsons' rookie streak of six consecutive games with a sack, tied for the second-longest rookie sack streak in NFL history.

Safety Xavier Watts led all rookies in interceptions with 5.0. He was tied second in the NFL in interceptions amongst all defenders, with only Kevin Byard (7) recording more. Watts was the first rookie since 2017 to record 60 or more tackles and three or more interceptions in their first season. 

Linebacker Jalon Walker finished second amongst all rookies in sacks with 5.5, trailing only teammate James Pearce Jr. He was Pro Football Focus’s highest graded rookie defender against the run, posting an 81.3 run defense grade. This was the sixth-highest grade in the NFL, out of 115 qualifying edge rushers. 

Defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. added 1.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in only six games played.

When judged strictly on 2025 production, the very criteria ESPN outlined, Atlanta’s rookie class stands out as one of the league’s most impactful. The Falcons have a strong case for the No.1 ranking in Schatz's list.

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