FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Professional Writers Association of America voted two Falcons defenders onto its 2025 All-Rookie team, which was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. and safety Xavier Watts each earned a spot on the All-Rookie roster after record-setting first seasons in Atlanta. Watts was also a member of the PFWA's All-NFC squad, which was released on Monday.
The Falcons traded up to select Pearce with the No. 26 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he rewarded that move with the second-best rookie season by a pass rusher in franchise history. Pearce led all rookies with 10.5 sacks, which fell just shy of the 11.5 that Claude Humphrey accrued as a first-year player in 1968.
Pearce's 10.5 sacks were the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons' 13 in 2021 with the Dallas Cowboys. He had six straight games with at least one sack, which tied for the second-longest streak by any NFL rookie since sacks were officially recorded in 1982. Pearce had two games in which he took down the quarterback twice, making him the only rookie with more than one multi-sack game this season. He finished the year with two sacks in the Falcons' season finale win against the Saints; the first of which broke the Falcons' single-season sack record; the second earned him double-digit sacks.
"I mean, we're seeing something borderline historic, especially for a rookie," Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said of Pearce in Week 16. "And goodness gracious, there is so much more meat on the bone. He is finding his way and he's growing. He's getting better every week, process included, which I've mentioned in the past. But there is still so much more out there for him. When this game starts to slow down, he really starts to figure out the game and his own skill set and his self-awareness goes to another space, he's got a bright, bright future."
In their trade with the Los Angeles Rams to select Pearce, the Falcons also acquired a third-round pick (No. 101). They used that third-round pick as part of a package to move up yet again in the draft, this time just a few spots to take Watts at No. 96. Their conviction during draft weekend helped transform their defense, Pearce on the front end and Watts on the back end.
Watts intercepted five passes as a rookie, tied for the second most in the NFL. His impact in the secondary was apparent from the very first regular season game, and Watts ended the year on a high note with a pair of interceptions against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in Week 17. He finished third on the team in both tackles (92) and pass breakups (11) and secured a fumble recovery to give him six total turnovers forced. According to Next Gen Stats, Watts finished second among all qualified safeties in "Hawk Rate," which is the percentage of targets where the nearest defender made a play on the football with either a pass defense or interception. He made a play on 28.2% of the passes thrown into his coverage.
Consistency and a nose for the football are already proving to be hallmarks of Watts' game; with him alongside an All-Pro player in Jessie Bates, the Falcons are situated nicely at the safety position.
"Both have amazing instinct. Both have ball skill. Both have anticipatory stuff that's really unique," Ulbrich said of Bates and Watts. "It was very early on we said, 'Screw this, we're going to go left and right,' and just let them master their side. Give them both ops to play to the field. Give them both ops to play to the boundary. And they've become, in my opinion, one of the best safety tandems in this league."
Ulbrich is remaining as the team's defensive coordinator under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, so there will be continuity for these two standout rookies to build upon.
