ESPN's 'Bold Prediction' Leaves Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot Smiling

Former NFL safety and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick had a bold predictions segment on ESPN, and one of his bold predictions will leave Atlanta Falcons fans smiling. Riddick predicted that Atlanta Falcons’ rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr will lead not only the Falcons, but the entire NFL in sacks.

“I don’t know how many people know this name,” Riddick began. “If you are a draftnik like we are, you know how James Pearce Jr. is. How about James Pearce Jr. leads the league in sacks this year.

“From all reports down there [Atlanta], he’s been unblockable in training camp. I said during the draft, if you remember, he reminded me of Jevon Kearse, ‘the freak’, the original freak who used to play for the Titans. This kid right here may solve all of Atlanta’s pass-rush issues they’ve had for the past four or five years.”

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High praise from Riddick to compare Pearce to a former first-team All-Pro and multiple-time Pro Bowler in Kearse, who in his career recorded 74.0 sacks, 80 tackles for loss, 37 passes defended, and 28 forced fumbles.

Atlanta traded back into the first round to select Pearce on draft night with the 26th overall pick. To acquire the pick, the Falcons sent the Los Angeles Rams their 2025 second-round pick (No. 46) and 2025 seventh-round pick (No. 242), along with a 2026 first-round pick. The Falcons also received a 2025 third-round pick (No. 101), which they used to select safety Xavier Watts, who is also set to start for Atlanta this year.

The Falcons finished 31st in sacks in 2024, and had to double-dip at pass rusher in the first round to fix a problem that’s been plaguing them for years. Pearce was touted for his speed and athleticism coming out of college, with veteran tackle Jake Matthews commenting about how he’s seen Pearce’s “twitch” and “great get off” firsthand.

Pearce has been the talk of Atlanta’s defense all offseason, making waves at camp as well as in the preseason. Pearce’s seven pressures through two preseason games were second only to Gabriel Murphy. His 21.1 percent pass rush win rate was the sixth most amongst players with 26 or more snaps during the preseason.

In 2024, Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson led the league in sacks with 17.5. Every sack leader of the 2020s has at least 15 sacks. The Falcons would love to get that type of production out of Pearce as a rookie, and Riddick certainly believes in the rookie’s ability.

However, the Falcons will settle for a player who can get seven sacks in a single season, a feat that has not been accomplished by an Atlanta defender since Takkarist McKinley in 2018.

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was heavily criticized for the draft-day trade he made to acquire Pearce. If Riddick’s bold prediction is even close to coming true, Fontenot will be serving crow to his critics over the holidays.