FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — It’s surprisingly easy to forget that the Atlanta Falcons drafted two edge rushers during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when one stole the spotlight basically from the beginning.James Pearce Jr., the 26th pick, landed in Atlanta and quickly made headlines. He fought with teammates in training camp practices. He led NFL rookies in sacks with 10.5. He finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.Unfortunately for the Falcons, the headlines didn’t stop in the offseason. Pearce was arrested in February after an incident with former girlfriend Rickea Jackson and eventually charged with three felonies. Questions about his status with the team have loomed since then. Atlanta opens its mandatory minicamp Tuesday, and though Pearce did not attend any of the team’s voluntary OTA workouts, he is expected to be in attendance and participate this week.Meanwhile, the only questions the Falcons have about Jalon Walker are about where he’s going to line up this fall. Walker, the No. 15 pick, arrived as an insta-veteran and captain of the future. But he was less productive on the field than Pearce and less of an issue off it.“Jalon’s a guy we got to know in Cleveland in that draft process, and every team that spent time with him came away thinking, ‘This is a kid who loves football,’” first-year Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “That’s what I have seen from him. There are things we are working on, but it’s fun being around a young man who is wired like that.”Walker, the second edge rusher taken in the 2025 draft behind Abdul Carter, had 33 tackles, 5.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries as a rookie and made an outsized impact in Atlanta’s locker room.“Walk came in as a grown man,” Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison said. “He’s always handled his business, and as a guy who has been around the league a decent amount, I respect that.”This year, Walker will steal the spotlight back from Pearce if defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s projections are correct. Ulbrich came out of the 2025 season believing he could have gotten more production out of the former University of Georgia star and is determined to do so this year.“We didn’t maybe feature him as well as we could have,” Ulbrich said. “This word gets thrown around way too often — force multiplier — but that’s what he is. He will make us better as he gets better.”Ulbrich’s challenge in training camp will be figuring out how and where to deploy Walker. The 22-year-old’s versatility makes it tempting to ask him to fill some of the roles handled by inside linebacker Kaden Elliss a year ago.“Jalon is up to the task, and I think Jalon is going to bring his own flavor to it, too,” Ulbrich said.The potential pitfall of that is diluting Walker’s effectiveness at his primary position.“We have talked about many ways to move me around,” Walker said. “Who knows? I am just happy for the evolution being there. We’ll see more going through training camp.”Outside linebackers coach John Timu sounds like he’s going to be protective of Walker’s time with his group.“We talk about the power of his versatility, which is awesome,” Timu said, “but … versatility is good, mastery is great. We want to see edge linebackers affect the quarterback. The No. 1 thing for that room is rushing the passer.”Walker’s 5.5 sacks were the second most among NFL rookies. This season, he wants to improve “all realms of my game,” he said.“Words cannot explain my excitement for this year,” he said. “I feel like last year was a good stepping stone. This year, my mindset is there is always more. That’s what I push for every day. Going out attacking each day, getting better.”Ulbrich envisions Walker expanding his leadership role on the defense as well with Elliss and defensive tackle David Onyemata no longer in the building.“He has the obvious skill set that we all see. What you don’t see is the guy behind the scenes,” Ulbrich said. “He has some real authentic leadership to him.”The 6-2, 245-pound Walker has made improvements already this offseason, Harrison said.“I definitely can tell he took this offseason seriously,” Harrison said. “Last year, he was newer to rushing, but this year he has taken another step. Walk can have whatever impact Walk wants to have, and I truly believe that.”Jun 16, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms