'Great Personality': James Pearce Jr. Validating Falcons Belief in Character

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- As James Pearce Jr. walked off the field after the second and final practice of Atlanta Falcons mandatory minicamp, he glanced to his right and shouted cornerback A.J. Terrell's jersey number.

Terrell, who wears No. 24, turned and looked back at Pearce, who had a sly smile on his face. Terrell and Pearce are locker mates, an intentional arrangement by Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who said Pearce reminds him of Terrell when he came out of Clemson in 2020.

"That's my guy," Pearce said about Terrell. "He's his own person. So, I can just use what helped him get this far in his career to help me propel mine. He takes ball very serious. Very passionate guy, down to earth. So, makes sense."

The 26-year-old Terrell, who's entering his sixth NFL season, agreed with the comparison. Eventually, Terrell came out of his shell. Pearce has started opening up to his teammates, Terrell said, but is more reserved in larger settings.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged Pearce is "not great" in media or public environments, where there's too many people and too many eyes on him. But the Falcons don't need Pearce to be a spokesperson -- they need him to pressure opposing quarterbacks and benefit their locker room.

And Pearce, no matter how short-winded, hasn't let the Falcons down.

"His buy-in; really smart, sharp, articulate guy, asks a lot of questions," Morris said. "One of those guys that's going to be very intentional about how he speaks to you. So when he's talking to you, he's going to talk direct, he's going to look you in the eye.

"When you are with him, intentional, direct, you get the best out of him."

Pearce has found comfort inside the Falcons' locker room. Everybody's down to earth, he said, and is motivated by a common goal of winning.

Perhaps more importantly, there's no flamboyance -- an identity Pearce supports.

"That's the type of guy I am," Pearce said. "Not really flamboyant. I just want to let the tape and everything else around me speak louder than all the words I say."

The 21-year-old Pearce talks plenty to his teammates, and he's been surrounded by a locker room full of leaders. When the Falcons drafted Pearce at No. 26 overall in April, running back Bijan Robinson was the first player to message him.

Robinson congratulated Pearce on his selection and said he was ready to get to work. Pearce appreciated Robinson's gesture and his steady presence since draft day.

Pearce flew to Atlanta the following afternoon. He was joined on the flight by fellow first-round edge rusher Jalon Walker, who went No. 15 overall. The two bonded then, and Walker said they've continued to get closer each day.

Walker and Pearce talk to each other frequently. They go over plays and concepts, teaching one another when the opportunity arises. Pearce's work ethic has impressed Walker, as has his character.

"James is a great guy," Walker said. "James has a great personality. He opens up when he wants to. I appreciate the relationship I have here with him."

Pearce enjoys having Walker along for the ride. They have their own goals and will have different careers, Pearce noted, but their starting point is identical. And as Pearce navigates his first NFL offseason, he's doing so with a friend who relates to the rollercoaster better than anyone.

"That's my guy," Pearce said. "I ain't tootin' my own horn, but I'm not the only first round guy here, so we get to share the pressure a little bit, share the experiences, share the ups and down days."

Yet while Walker and Pearce discover the trials and tribulations associated with a rookie season, Terrell is watching with five years of experience in his back pocket. He and All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III are in the same locker room corner as Pearce, which offers a greater opportunity to give advice.

Thus far, Pearce has taken it.

"Solid dude, hard worker right now, and just being a sponge," Terrell said. "James, he's just somebody who comes in with good energy every day."

Pearce battled questions pertaining to his maturity throughout the spring. The Falcons spent extensive time with him during the pre-draft process, capped by a flight to Pearce's home in Charlotte, North Carolina, to visit with him and his mother.

Some teams reportedly removed Pearce from their draft board. Atlanta merely did more work -- and, along the way, found a player worth betting on.

"Fell in love with the guy and who he is," Morris said. "The honesty, the truth teller he is. Being around him, it's been a lot of what I thought and what I've expected."

The Falcons ended minicamp with what Morris described as a "young guy period," allowing primarily first-year players to compete against one another. In between series, Pearce took a knee. Morris, with a smile on his face, told Pearce to "get (his) ass up."

Pearce did, and along with Walker, starred during the period -- while Terrell, Bates, Robinson and a bevy of Pearce's other mentors watched from the sidelines.

When Atlanta returns in six weeks for training camp, Pearce will get his first taste of padded practice as a professional. The first-round pressure he feels will ramp up, as will the intensity of each snap.

The Falcons expect Pearce to create problems for opposing offenses. Pearce could've said that Wednesday, but he didn't -- in part because he hopes his play eventually does it for him.