Overview

• The Falcons used the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, the 2024 Butkus Award winner, to bolster their pass rush.
• Atlanta traded their 2025 second- and seventh-round picks and their 2026 first-round pick to the Rams to acquire the No. 26 selection, drafting Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr.
• Walker’s hybrid linebacker-edge role and athleticism are seen as key assets, though concerns linger about his size at the NFL level.
• Pearce, a high-upside pass rusher with an impressive college win rate, comes with maturity and off-field character concerns, including a 2023 arrest for minor infractions.
• The moves follow Atlanta’s free-agent signing of veteran Leonard Floyd, reflecting an aggressive strategy to address the team’s league-low sack total in 2024.