Falcons GM Terry Fontenot reveals why he traded up to load up on edge rushers.
When the Atlanta Falcons traded up to select James Pearce Jr. 11 picks after keeping Jalon Walker in Georgia for his professional career, it turned heads around the NFL Draft world.
Now sure, the Falcons' pass rush was historically bad in 2024, and they really did need a pair of rushers to unlock the ceiling of Raheem Morris' defense, but giving up a future first for an edge rusher many thought could fall out of the first round? Goodness, that was a choice fans will be talking about for a long time.
Well, after the first round, GM Terry Fontenot weighed in on the situation, explaining why he thought it was “worth it” to bring Pearce in after selecting Walker earlier in the draft.
“You know with trades, it always gets to that point where you have to weigh out what you're actually doing and what you're doing it for,” Fontenot said via SI. “We look at the trade charts and all of that stuff, but at some point you have to look at, okay, who is the player, what are we really getting, and it is it worth it? And that's what you really have to do. And when you have that kind of conviction and belief in the player, then that's when you're willing to do it.”
Outside of Abdul Carter, there wasn't a completely clean edge rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft class, with both Walker and Pearce having questions about one aspect of his game or another. While there's no way of knowing if Walker or Pearce will hit or bust, adding two players with very high upside could not only help to mitigate that risk but actually give the team a pair of long-term starters if they both hit. Factor in the presence of Leonard Floyd and David Onyemata, and who knows, maybe the Falcons will be able to get after quarterbacks this fall and look like a completely different team with Michael Pennix Jr. under center.
