James Pearce Jr. 'Fueled' to Silence Falcons' Latest Critics

The second edge rusher the Atlanta Falcons drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft reassured his team Friday that he is motivated to prove them correct.

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have received quite a bit of criticism the past few days for trading back into the first round to draft Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

Those doubters could motivate Pearce. It doesn't sound like Pearce cares one way or the other, though, how the national media views his selection. The edge rusher explained in his first opportunity to talk to reporters as a member of the Falcons that instead of the doubers, he will use the organization's strong belief in him as motivation.

"Some people might use negative to fuel their fire," Pearce told reporters during his introductory press conference Friday. "I feel like that was a super positive thing they did, and that fueled my fire. That put a lot of gasoline on there. Makes me want to go ahead and play for this organization a lot harder and a lot better."

The Falcons gave up the No. 46 and 242 overall picks in 2025 and a 2026 first-rounder for the No. 26 and 101 selections this year. At No. 26, Atlanta drafted Pearce.

Pearce joins an edge rushing room in Atlanta that will also include No. 15 overall pick Jalon Walker.

"They believed in me," Pearce said. "They believed in my talent. They believed in my skill set. They believed in me growing as a man."

Whether Pearce can grow as a man was one of the concerns about him going into the 2025 NFL Draft.

ESPN's Chris Low reported on Dec. 4, 2023 Knoxville police arrested Pearce at a traffic stop for disobeying orders. Police said the edge rusher was driving 63 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. Pearce also had an expired North Carolina temporary tag and an expired driver's license.

Knoxville News Sentinel's Liz Kellar reported police dropped the charges against Pearce after he proved he had renewed his driver's license and paid a speeding ticket.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Falcons did extensive homework on Pearce before feeling comfortable trading up for the edge rusher. Rapoport said during Thursday's draft broadcast that the Falcons talked to lots of people close to Pearce, including his mother, during the draft process.

Draft experts haven't really addressed Pearce's arrest since the Falcons selected him Thursday. But pundits have criticized the Falcons for giving up too much in draft capital for the Tennessee edge rusher.

ESPN's Seth Walder called it "a poor team-building choice." His colleague at ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr., referred to the move as "shocking."

"It's a lot to give up, and talented edge rushers such as Donovan Ezeiruaku and Mike Green were still on the board," Kiper wrote Thursday night. "Atlanta got value with Jalon Walker, but this one was questionable."

Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr took a shot at the Falcons in a column discussing quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders.

"The Atlanta Falcons are off in the ideological wilderness, burning down one draft after the next with near-reckless abandon," wrote Orr.

Pearce could easily pin these quotes in his locker. Instead, it sounds as though he will have the trade compensation the Falcons gave up to land him constantly on his mind.

Whatever motivation is fine as long as Pearce proves the aggressive move from Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was the right one.

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