NFC Notes: James Pearce, Tetairoa McMillan, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

• Regarding Buccaneers’ third-round CB Jacob Parrish, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN cites an NFC executive who thinks the cornerback’s “speed and traits” give him a high ceiling despite being undersized: “His size [5-foot-9] is an issue, but nickels are more prevalent, and his ceiling is high due to speed and traits.” 
• Although Tampa Bay is “very high” on fourth-year CB Zyon McCollum, Fowler writes the Buccaneers were intentional about adding a second Day 2 cornerback after Benjamin Morrison. In the end, HC Todd Bowles wanted “better depth” at the position. 
• According to Greg Auman, the Buccaneers hired former West Virginia assistant Blaine Stewart as an offensive quality control coach.
• The Buccaneers landed DE Haason Reddick following his fallout with the Jets last season. Tampa Bay run game coordinator Larry Foote said Reddick is joining the team with a chip on his shoulder: “He’s pissed off, and we like that.” (Greg Auman)
• Foote remains unsure if the team improved its inside linebacker spot, but thinks they are “definitely” better if SirVocea Dennis (shoulder) is healthy, via Auman. 

Falcons

Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith said the team traded its first-round pick in 2026 because they felt they would be able to get the player they wanted next year, this year.

“If we were going into next year, we would be hoping that a Jalon Walker or a James Pearce would be there next year,” Smith said, via NY Times. “This year we are sitting there, and we’ve got an opportunity to take two players from that bucket.”

Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich added that DE James Pearce, Jr. is potentially the best edge rusher in the entire draft, which justified the heavy price tag.

“You could make the case that he was the best pass rusher in this draft from a pure edge element,” Ulbrich said. “We had conviction in that.”

Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said his team’s scouts quelled any potential off-the-field concerns that came with drafting Pearce and he’s comfortable with the selection.

“There’s always things that are reported and there’s a perception on the outside and then there is a whole different level based off the information we know,” Fontenot said. “We have a really thorough process that we go through, and I believe our scouts — I put them against any scouts in the league in terms of the information they gather, but then we again go through a security process and we gather a lot of information on these players and so we have a lot of confidence in our process.”

Panthers

• According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Panthers were linked to Georgia’s DE Jalon Walker at No. 8 overall, but they felt “taking a smaller front-seven player was an issue.”
• Fowler also writes that people within Carolina were intrigued by Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen. 
• Fowler reports the Panthers had talks with multiple teams about trading back in the first round, including with the 49ers at No. 11, but they decided on going forward with WR Tetairoa McMillan.