The inconsistency of the pass rush in Atlanta has been the butt of jokes for awhile now, but CBS Sports predicts that to change with one rookie winning DPOY.
The Falcons had the second-fewest sacks in the NFL last year and have been inconsistent at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks since John Abraham patrolled the edge. I'm sorry, Vic Beasley, but stats do not lie.
James Pearce Jr. has his video board displayed after being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Draft. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
James Pearce Jr. has his video board displayed after being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Draft. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso named rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr. his pick to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors at season's end. Atlanta would listen to the fans this year and be aggressive in finding that next great edge rusher to wreak havoc on opposing QBs.
The team traded back into the first round to snag Pearce Jr. after drafting Jalon Walker with the 15th pick. Some fans and officials think that Atlanta may have given up too much to get back into the first round to draft Pearce Jr, but they wanted another dynamic rusher to set the tone for the offseason in addressing pressing needs. They would give up a 2026 first-round selection in doing so.
According to PFF, Atlanta would also finish third worst in pass-rushing defense. With the glaring needs on the defensive side of the football, Chris Trapasso was very high on Pearce Jr. coming into this year's draft.
"With Pearce as my No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class, I'm not backing away from that before any games are played,” said Trapasso of CBS Sports. “Pearce is a sizable, athletic, refined, and deceptively powerful outside rusher who demolished the SEC the past two seasons with a cumulative pressure rate over 21%. I've written that statistic like 50 times the past four months, and I'm still astonished by it.”
“His situation in Atlanta couldn't be more conducive to DROY hype,” Trapasso said. “Atlanta has finished 32nd in sacks twice (2015, 2021) and 31st a ridiculous five times (2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, and 2024) over the past decade. Any uptick in team pass-rushing production will be viewed as a ginormous win for the Falcons.”