Falcons
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Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank reacts in the second half of an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Atlanta Falcons’ rookies are impressing early on in their first rookie minicamps. Atlanta drafted 5 players during the draft with four of them being on the defensive side of the ball. Jalon Walker was the first pick as he was selected with the 15th overall pick. In an article by Will McFadden head coach Raheem Morris talks about Walker and how impressive he was in the early goings.
“He knows how to practice at a very high level,” Morris said. “He wants to get better and better every single day, and he seems like he does. He’s an instant coach. He’s like grits, man. You just tell him something, and he does it the first time every single time.”
As the Falcons continue to reshape their identity, Walker is at the center of that transformation. His emergence adds a dynamic edge to the pass rush game, and he’s already earning respect as a foundational piece. If his early performances are any sign, the Falcons may have found not just a top-tier weapon, but a future face of the franchise.
Rookies Making a Difference
James Pierce was the second pick of the Falcons as he was selected in the bottom half of the first round. Assistant head Jerry Gray says Pierce reminds him of former Tennessee Titan first-round pick Jevon Kearse.
“I just remember when I was with Tennessee and I was lucky enough to be on that staff in ’99, we drafted a guy named Jevon Kearse,” Gray said. “This guy was a rookie, and he doesn’t know anything, but all of a sudden at the end of the year, you’re going to the Super Bowl and he has 15 sacks.
“No one is going to know anything about our young guys because they are going to be scouting the old guys. So, the young guys got a better chance at pass rush.”
Rookies Ready To Play Immediately
Billy Bowman Jr is having a good start to minicamp as he was lined up as a starter at some point during the day.
“He brings a certain type of leadership style of his own, and you can tell he is watching and he is learning and he is grasping from everybody, whether it be Clark [Phillips] or whether it be Jesse or whether it be anybody from his room or outside of his room,” Morris said of Bowman. “You can just tell he has a certain mentality and he wants to get better.”
Playing rookies early isn’t without risk. They’re more prone to making mental errors or mismatches with seasoned pros. The Falcons can mitigate this by providing strong support such as layered game plans in which rookies are paired with veterans, synthetic reps in similar situations during practice, and clear role definitions so rookie mistakes are contained and recoverable.
Xavier Watts and Jack Nelson are also the rookies who have a chance to play early in Atlanta. The rookies will play a huge role as the Falcons try to end their playoff drought.