'Lot of Chatter' on Falcons Drafting Tennessee Pass Rusher James Pearce Jr.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons hosted Tennessee outside linebacker James Pearce Jr. at their facility three weeks ago. Pearce may be headed back to Flowery Branch after Thursday night's opening round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Two insiders who correctly predicted the Falcons' surprising first-round selection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. last year have Atlanta adding Pearce to its pass rush Thursday.

One of the two -- ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller -- went as far as saying his Pearce pick came from the same place as his Penix selection.

"There was a debate between sources this week about whom the Falcons will target, but they all expect a pass rusher to be the pick," Miller wrote. "Though Marshall's Mike Green and Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart were brought up by different scouts, the hottest buzz -- which came from the same source who connected Michael Penix Jr. to Atlanta before the 2024 draft -- told me to pick Pearce."

The other -- CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones -- cited the Falcons' recent pass rush struggles. Atlanta finished second-to-last in the NFL with 31 sacks in 2024.

"The Falcons have the fewest sacks in the entire NFL since 2018, so that must change with their first-round pick," Jones wrote. "At this point in the mock, Pearce has to be the best pure pass rusher on their board, with 17 1/2 sacks in the past two seasons along with three forced fumbles."

Once a preseason favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Pearce is still considered a first-round pick, though he has an expansive draft day range.

The 21-year-old Pearce is a two-time first-team All-SEC selection. In 2023, he led the Volunteers with 14 tackles for loss and was eighth in the FBS with 10 sacks across 13 games. Pearce again led Tennessee in tackles for loss with 13 in 2024 while adding 7.5 sacks.

Pearce has an off-field resume worth examining. He was arrested in December 2023 for disobeying orders from police after being pulled over for speeding and driving on a suspended license, though charges were later dropped after he showed he received a new driver’s license and paid his speeding ticket.

According to The Athletic, Pearce's concerns "pertain to his on-field drive and attitude," along with his maturity. The Falcons reportedly are willing to bypass those issues for Pearce and defensive tackle Walter Nolen, according to The Ringer draft insider Todd McShay, formerly of ESPN.

"I'm hearing Atlanta may be perfectly fine to overlook those things," McShay said on TheMcShayShow.

Thus, buzz surrounding Pearce and the Falcons has continued to grow -- not just from pundits but within league circles. NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah has Atlanta selected Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker at No. 15 overall, noting Walker fell into the team's lap.

But during his explanation, Jeremiah acknowledged the Falcons' interest in Pearce, who he ultimately projected to slide out of the first round entirely.

"I think this is the year Atlanta addresses the pass rush in Round 1," Jeremiah said. "There’s a lot of chatter about James Pearce Jr. going to the Falcons."

The final answer comes Thursday night.