When the Atlanta Falcons made the bold decision to trade a future first, a second, and a seventh round pick to the Rams to get a first and a third in return, they did so targeting edge rusher James Pearce Jr. They made it clear that they needed immediate help getting after the quarterback after having just taken Jalon Walker about an hour earlier at No. 15. We have completed a trade with the Los Angeles Rams pic.twitter.com/O5Ki9aqo0u— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 25, 2025The trade was widely panned by national experts as a gross overpay by the Falcons. Despite their own analytics giving the Falcons a top 5 draft class based on value, The Athletic's Dane Brugler (whose draft rankings made up the analytics) ranked the Falcons' draft 30th out of 32 teams.The Falcons took Pearce at No. 26 and got Xavier Watts in the third. With the Falcons having a disappointing season, the future first-round pick to the Rams is currently No. 11 overall, and Pearce is playing like a top 10 pick (not to mention Watts will be the starting safety on nearly every All-Rookie team at season's end). What happens next for the Atlanta Falcons? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Falcons news delivered to your inbox daily!So far, the Tennessee product has met every expectation and provided much-needed relief to what used to be Atlanta’s defensive weakness.With four sacks, Pearce Jr. only trails teammate and fellow first-round pick Jalon Walker's five for the most sacks by a rookie this season.Last season, Atlanta finished with the second-fewest sacks in the NFL at 31. This year, they have already surpassed that total with 39 through just 11 games, the third-most in the league. The Falcons' pass rush has been so bad historically that their 39 sacks are already tied for 6th-most Atlanta has had in the last 30 years. When asked about Pearce Jr.’s gradual development, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris explained that the rookie has showcased improvements to his routine both on and off the field.“James clearly has been able to go out there every single week and get better and better every week,” Morris said. “It’s due to his process. His process has gotten better in practice. His process has gotten better in the meeting rooms. His process has gotten better, and it's really shown and become game reality for us.”James Pearce Jr. is a ⭐️ in the making!!Forcing an incomplete pass and on the next play, a sack….#Falcons struck gold pic.twitter.com/bxTJLniAMi— FirstDownMedia (@FirstDownMediaa) November 24, 2025The two-time first-team All-SEC selection had the best game of his young career during Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, finishing with 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits.According to Pearce Jr., he put a strong emphasis on getting adjusted to NFL life quickly, and it’s already paid off for him.“I was trying to find my ground, and how I can help this team, especially," Pearce Jr. said "Like I always say, they put a lot into getting me here. So, I always wanted to see where I was going to fit in. And how I was going to be able to expand my role as quickly as possible. Just trying to get acclimated with the team. Once I did that, I knew the relationships I built would improve my comfort level around the building.”While the rookie edge rusher leaned on his speed and athleticism in college, Morris said Pearce Jr. has built a stronger feel for the nuances of pass rushing and added them to his toolbox.“He's learned the spots. He's learned more about the calls, when he can actually shoot his gun, when the control rush has to go down, when it has to be power…I watched him drop in coverage yesterday and make a couple plays,” Morris said. “He's done a great job of providing us a lot of relief in some of our pass rush and things that we wanted to do this year.”Pearce Jr. will look to build on his impressive rookie season when the Falcons travel to face the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.