FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — All five of the Atlanta Falcons' draft picks made their preseason debut in Friday's exhibition game against the Detroit Lions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

That includes first-round edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

"The first run out, it was insane," Walker said. "I'd never ran out in a Falcons uniform before, and the opportunity for me to do so was like no other. I was truly blessed. I know I shouldn't take it for granted. Every snap is a meaningful snap."

TRAINING CAMP REPORTS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8

Walker took 19 defensive snaps (40%) and two special teams snaps (11%). He registered one tackle.

Pearce took 18 defensive snaps (38%). He did not record any snaps. The Lions seemed to always have a plan to limit Pearce's presence, shifting protection his way, pinning him with a double team or simply running the ball the opposite direction.

"It's their job to be able to slow down the game a little bit, be able to help themselves," Pearce said. "That's just what's going on in the league, slowing down the game, especially since edge rushers can be so impactful."

In order to ensure Pearce can still be impactful, his feedback from coaches primarily centered around finding his advantage, like locating better pass-rush angles. Pearce's goal for the next preseason game, if he plays, is to get a sack.

Walker said he is still reviewing film with coaches.

The first game is in the books; onto the next.

"It's different being out there on the biggest stage," Pearce said. "Just different from that standpoint. Excited. Some nerves. Everything going on. It was fun."

As for the other draft picks, safety Xavier Watts took 21 defensive snaps (44%) and one special teams snap (6%). He made one tackle on defense.

Defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. also took 21 defensive snaps but seven special teams snaps (39%). He made one tackle on special teams.

Offensive lineman Jack Nelson got the start at right tackle. He took all 38 offensive snaps along with three special teams snaps (17%).

"It was a game for us to go out there and then just to get out feet wet." Walker said. "Of course, I didn't get the game-game feel of everybody playing with reps and counts, things like that. But I feel like once you're out there, and when you go out there to play a game, you're out there. You shouldn't take that lightly."

Open practice count: 9 of 11 | See all dates

Most notable player: Mike Ford Jr. The cornerback had a perfect pass breakup against wide receiver Casey Washington in the end zone. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw a good ball, but Ford was great in that moment.

Say what now: "Nothing negative. Just taking care of my knee, making sure I get through the preseason," edge rusher Bralen Trice said when asked why he did not play Friday. Trice missed all of his rookie season last year due to a torn ACL sustained in the Falcons' first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Trice said Monday his knee "feels great," which tracks with what he said earlier in training camp. He appeared to be a full participant in Monday's practice, even making what would have been a "sack" against quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Song of the day: "Tsunami" by DVBBS and Borgeous. It played during warmups and really set the tone for practice. All EDM, all day.

Roll call: Not seen in Monday's practice were wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder injury), wide receiver Jamal Agnew, cornerback Clark Phillips II, running back Carlos Washington Jr., cornerback Keith Taylor (hamstring injury), inside linebacker Malik Verdon (Non-Football Injury list), inside linebacker Troy Andersen (Physically Unable to Perform list) and offensive lineman Storm Norton (lower-body injury).

General observations:

-- Sunday’s signings were at practice. Safety Ronnie Harrison was donning a No. 36 jersey, while offensive lineman Jake Hanson wore No. 72.

-- There were six overall 11-on-11 periods. I will be completely honest: I was only able to keep stats for five of those periods. The team was too far away during one such period for me to confidently track. So, apart from that one series, starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed eight of his 14 passes and backup quarterback Kirk Cousins completed eight of his 12 passes. Penix threw a touchdown pass in the red zone to wide receiver Drake London, and Cousins did so to wide receiver David Sills V. Easton Stick went 1-of-1, and Emory Jones was also 1-of-1.

-- To be fair to wide receiver Casey Washington, who took a stray in the "most notable player" section above, he had a very impressive catch during the first series of 11-on-11 work. Penix threw a deep pass on the run while under pressure from edge rusher Jalon Walker. Washington climbed the ladder enough to snag it.

-- Edge rusher Leornard Floyd had a "sack" against Cousins.

-- Linebacker DeAngelo Malone was back to taking reps outside after playing some inside linebacker Friday. The Falcons have a lot of depth outside and not so much inside. So, because Malone is a strong special teams asset, the coaching staff may be trying to test out different defensive ways to keep him rostered for more than one unit.

-- Left tackle Jake Matthews and right tackle Kaleb McGary must have left practice after warmups and position drills because they were not present for 11-on-11 work. A rest day has been normal for these veterans in training camp so far. Jack Nelson and Brandon Parker filled in, respectively, with the first-team offense. Those reps are invaluable especially for a rookie like Nelson.

-- During the "mamba" period, Parker was flagged for a false start and therefore pulled from the rep. Elijah Wilkinson stepped right in. Lindstrom explained after practice: "That's a policy here. Offense and defense, false start or encroachment, you get pulled from the rep because our film is our life here in the NFL, so if you lose a rep, I don't think there's a way to hurt somebody more than that. That's kind of our accountability system."

-- Safety Jordan Fuller must have been taking a rest day like McGary and Matthews. Fuller also was seen during the early portion of practice but was not a participant in 11-on-11 work. That left rookie Xavier Watts opposite Jessie Bates III for the most part with the first-team defense. Josh Thompson was running across DeMarcco Hellams with the second-team defense.

-- With Jamal Agnew in street clothes watching, fellow wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III was the No. 1 punt returner. What's curious, though, is running back Bijan Robinson taking a punt return rep. He hadn't done that before in training camp this year.

What's next: The Falcons hold their 10th open practice Tuesday at IBM Performance Field. It'll be the first of two consecutive joint practices with the Tennessee Titans. Their preseason game is then scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. ET inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Countdown to kickoff: There are 27 days until the Falcons' Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | See full schedule