The Atlanta Falcons selected Jalon Walker, a linebacker from the University of Georgia and James Pearce Jr., an edge-rusher from the University of Tennessee Thursday night in the 2025 NFL Draft. Walker was taken with the 15th overall pick. Atlanta traded picks No. 46, No. 242, and a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the No. 26 and 101 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Walker spent three seasons (2022-24) at Georgia, totaling 89 tackles (56 solo), 12.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble in 43 games for the Dawgs. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound edge tallied 60 tackles (37 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble in 14 games in 2024, earning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.
Pearce appeared in 39 games over three seasons (2022-24) for Tennessee, totaling 71 tackles (44 solo), 19.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three passes defensed, and one interception. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound edge-rusher totaled a team-leading 7.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2024, also recording 38 tackles (23 solo). He earned back-to-back first-team All-SEC honors in his sophomore and junior seasons and was a 2024 Bednarik Award Semifinalist, presented annually to the nation’s defensive player of the year.