NFL Trade Rumors
Falcons GM Terry Fontenot has justified the decisions his team made during the past two drafts, trading a future first to bring in both pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce in 2025, as well as projected starter QB Michael Penix Jr. in a move that shocked many during the 2024 draft. Walker slipped because of questions about his best fit in the NFL, either as an off-ball linebacker or edge rusher, but Fontenot said the Falcons feel like they know what they’re getting.
“You see exactly who he is when you watch the tape,” Fontenot said of Walker, via GoLongTD.com. “The way he plays. The physicality. The toughness. The instincts. The intelligence. It all screams off the tape. When you read all the character and the makeup on him — his Dad’s a coach. He grew up with a football in his hand. Unbelievable leader at Georgia. All those characteristics. All the work the scouts do? You don’t even need to get that information because you see it on the tape. And he’s such a versatile piece that he can play on the edge. He can play stack. He can rush from any area on the field. The way the draft was, it wasn’t as definite as you would expect. With us being realistic, we didn’t expect him to be there. But you just really didn’t know.”
Fontenot admitted that while they didn’t know Walker would be available at No. 15, they were willing to take Pearce at that spot before things fell how they did. That sparked the decision to move back up to No. 26 to take Pearce, who slid because of concerns about his character and maturity from his college days at Tennessee. Fontenot said Atlanta did its homework and was comfortable with what it learned.
“When you’re assessing players,” Fontenot continued, “You’re not just looking at everything that they are, you’re looking at your building. We did that with James, and we felt great about bringing him here and helping him grow and thrive. He’s a dynamic player, and we believe in the person. So, we were ready to do it. And honestly? We were ready to take him at 15. You’ve got the 6-5 freak athlete. That isn’t normal to run a 4.4 when you’re 6-5 with the twitch, the suddenness, the burst, getting off the ball, all the things he can do. And he’s a violent, disruptive player. Run game, too. He is a violent, disruptive player. Jalon, it’s a completely different element where he can come off the edge, he can move around, he can rush in the middle. He can be your green dot centerpiece of your defense at middle linebacker. So, they are different types of players.”
Former Panthers LB Luke Kuechly praised QB Bryce Young for his toughness and said that he’s seen what he needs to see out of him in order to battle adversity.
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