He had to wait a lot longer than many of us hoped for, but James Pearce Jr. can officially call himself a first-round pick. After back-to-back strong seasons for the Tennessee Volunteers, Pearce is now ready to put on a show in the NFL and he'll be getting his start with the Atlanta Falcons.
On Thursday night, the Falcons selected Pearce with the No. 26 overall pick. However, that pick originally belonged to the Los Angeles Rams. Atlanta decided it wanted to trade back into the first round, though, and they gave up quite the package to go after the Tennessee standout:
Falcons trade up to select James Pearce, Jr.
— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2025
Rams pick up a 2026 first round pick. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/K7helsauNs
Atlanta gave up a future first-round pick to select Vols star James Pearce Jr.
Wait, so the Falcons front office gave up a first-round pick next season to move up to No. 26 for Pearce? Plenty of people are ripping Atlanta for giving up too much, but hey, we're not going to argue with the fact that the Falcons have landed quite the talent.
This offseason, plenty of eyebrows were raised when 'character issues' surrounded Pearce's name. This came as a bit of a surprise to plenty of people in Knoxville, but it played a major role in why he slid quite a bit on draft night.
Originally, there was belief that he'd be a Top 15 pick, but that didn't go to plan for him. Instead, he was taken No. 26 and he's getting ready to join an exciting young team in the Falcons, who also drafted pass-rusher Jalon Walker with the No. 15 overall pick.
Clearly, the Falcons are focused on improving their defense, and they've been able to draft two primetime talents in Walker and Pearce. Again, the Falcons gave up quite a bit to go after Pearce, but he'll be ready to prove to everyone that he's worth it. A promising career should be on the way for him in the NFC South.