Everyone is asking ‘What is Atlanta doing?’ again after Round 1 of the draft; Here’s the answer

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The idea that the Atlanta Falcons drafted James Pearce Jr. on Thursday night because of Michael Penix Jr. is going to take some explaining, so let’s get to it.

The Falcons became the talk of the first day of the NFL Draft for the second year in a row Thursday when they traded back into the first round to draft Pearce, the edge rusher out of Tennessee, with the No. 26 pick, 11 spots after they had picked Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker at No. 15.

Atlanta sent the Los Angeles Rams the 46th and 242nd picks in this year’s draft and its first-round pick next year in exchange for the Pearce pick and the 101st pick in this year’s draft. On Friday, they traded the No. 101 pick and next year’s fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for No. 96, which they used to select Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts.

ESPN’s Kevin Clark called Atlanta’s deal with the Rams “awful” and “reckless” on his “This is Football” podcast, and he wasn’t the only one shaking his head in the Falcons’ direction. Their decision was the most discussed transaction of the day behind closed doors among league executives “by a wide margin,” according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

By any measurement, the Falcons overpaid in the deal. The judges (who in this case are the three most widely recognized NFL Draft trade value charts) scored the fight overwhelmingly for the Rams — 2,906 points to 2,010 points (Fitzgerald-Speilberger chart), 1,491 points to 796 points (Jimmy Johnson chart) and 444 points to 257 points (Rich Hill chart). These figures were compiled assuming Atlanta picks in the middle of the first round next year (15th).

This is the second consecutive offseason in which the NFL has collectively wondered, “What the heck is going on in Flowery Branch?” Last year, the Falcons dedicated an unprecedented amount of resources to the quarterback position, signing Kirk Cousins to the largest total value free-agency deal in league history and guaranteeing the veteran quarterback $90 million just six weeks before selecting Penix with the eighth overall pick.

The Falcons are still trying to find a way to get out of the Cousins deal neatly, and the league is still wondering what they were thinking. More important, though, than what they were thinking then is what they are thinking now, and what they are thinking now is that they were exactly right one year ago.

The Falcons love Penix. They believe they have found their quarterback for the next decade. They can’t imagine what kind of shape they would be in now if they hadn’t drafted Penix, considering how Cousins played in the five games before the veteran was benched last season.

That’s why Atlanta ignored all the warning signs around the Pearce trade and emptied its wallet to move back into the first round Thursday night and take Pearce.

“Some people might use negatives to fuel their fire,” Pearce said Friday. “I feel like that was a super positive thing they did and that fueled my fire, put a lot of gasoline on it, made me want to go out here and play for this organization a lot harder.”

Pearce’s fire was a question mark coming into the draft as some teams questioned his commitment to the game, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

The Charlotte, N.C., native flew to Atlanta along with Walker, who is from Salisbury, N.C., on team owner Arthur Blank’s private jet.

“James is on a mission. We’re all on a mission,” Walker said. “We are here today because we have a mission and a pride about how we perform and how we go about things.”

Pearce is confident he can validate the Falcons’ faith in him. He described his game as “electrifying.”

“I’ve been hearing a lot of people call it juice, too, so we can say that, too,” he said. “I’m fun to watch, too.”

If Pearce can back up that talk, Atlanta’s decision to select him will be vindicated just as the Falcons believe the Penix pick has been vindicated.

“When you have that kind of conviction and belief in the player, that’s when you’re willing to (make an aggressive trade), and we have that belief,” general manager Terry Fontenot said. “Love the way he plays. Love the way he competes.”

Fontenot declined to say if Pearce would have been Atlanta’s pick at No. 15 if Walker hadn’t been available in that spot, but there are indications he would have been. Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris met with Pearce and his mother in person on Wednesday, and when Morris got on the phone with Pearce after the 26th pick on Thursday night, he told Pearce, “It took a little longer than expected,” according to the video released by the team on Thursday night.

“Get ready to play” 📞

Let’s get you to Georgia, @JamesPearceJr10! pic.twitter.com/2HXaMEy8wa

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) April 25, 2025

The Falcons entered this offseason more desperate for pass-rushing help than any team in the league. Their efforts to fix that started in free agency when they added edge rusher Leonard Floyd. They didn’t necessarily plan to add two more edge rushers so early in this draft but couldn’t turn away from the opportunity Walker and Pearce presented, Morris said.

“I really like our plan,” the coach said. “I really like how we went about our business.”

Fontenot, who is presiding over his fifth draft for the Falcons this weekend, had only become more convicted about Thursday’s decision with a day to think on them.

“When you say was it a good trade or a bad trade, it’s not about the points, it’s about the player,” he said Friday night. “If you hit on a player that makes sense for you and is going to end up being a really good player for you, it was a good trade. I slept good last night.”

(Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)

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