Falcons EDGE James Pearce Jr. wins NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month by the league on Thursday afternoon. Pearce capped off a productive year with two more sacks in the team's 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints in Sunday's season finale.

Pearce finished the season with 10.5 sacks, a Falcons rookie record in the modern era. Atlanta traded up to acquire the Tennessee standout in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, sending a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams. Many were critical of the trade initially, but Pearce more than proved his doubters wrong.

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"The first-rounder concluded a stellar rookie season with a flourish," Grant Gordon of NFL.com wrote. "Over Atlanta's last five games -- in which the Falcons went 4-1 -- Pearce posted 11 tackles, 5.5 sacks and four pass breakups. Pearce, who finished with 10.5 sacks on the season, had at least half a sack in all but one of Atlanta's last five games."

The Falcons' gamble to move up for Pearce worked out extremely well, especially considering the trade helped the team land rookie safety Xavier Watts. The former Notre Dame standout fell to the third round before Atlanta moved up five spots to secure him at pick No. 96 overall.

Watts led all rookies with five interceptions, which tied for the second-most in the NFL this season. Aside from Pearce and Watts, rookie Jalon Walker also had a stellar first year for the Falcons. Walker finished second among rookies with 5.5 sacks and was a force against the run.

Despite the success of the team's rookie class, the Falcons still opted to fire general manager Terry Fontenot after the season. Fontenot went 37-48 over his five seasons in Atlanta. Nonetheless, the next GM that the Falcons hire will have a nice core of talent to work with.

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This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce wins NFL Defensive Rookie award