Rookies Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr.'s new presences have been felt four games into 2025.

byTaylor Garner&Matt Haley

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. Though there have been some growing pains across the board this season, one could argue that Atlanta's defense is having one of its best starts to a season in years. Even with a bye in Week 5, the unit currently boasts the top-ranked defense in the NFL, limiting opponents to 244.0 yards per game, and has the No. 1 pass defense in the league, holding opponents to 135.0 yards through the air per game.

Much of this can be attributed to the veterans this unit has, but what shouldn't go unnoticed is the impact that the rookie class has had on the success so far this season. Raheem Morris and Jeff Ulbrich both said all offseason that the rookies will see significant time on the field, as this class has digested the information presented to them at a high level and been able to translate it out on the field. And that has been apparent to this point.

Using Microsoft Copilot to organize data from Stats LLC., and Next Gen Stats, we found that Atlanta's rookies have played a combined total of 548 defensive snaps, the sixth-most in the NFL, with 68% of the snaps coming from rookie defensive backs Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman, both of whom have accounted for turnovers this season. Rookie edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. have a combined 174 defensive snaps, the third-most by a linebacker/edge group in the league.

As a unit, Atlanta has totaled 199 tackles, 15 for a loss, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, three interceptions and one fumble recovery. Of the 199 tackles, the Falcons rookies have accounted for 50 of those (25.1%), the third-highest percentage of tackles by rookies in the NFL this season. The rookie class has also accounted for four of the club's forced fumbles and interceptions (66.7%), the highest total in the league, according to Stats LLC.

All four rookies have impacted this defense significantly. Let's dive into how they've been an instant elevation.

Through five weeks, Watts leads all rookies in the NFL in passes defensed with four and in interceptions with two. He is the first Falcons rookie with multiple interceptions in a season since Deion Jones accomplished this feat in 2016 and became the first Atlanta rookie since 1980 to record multiple interceptions within the first four games of the regular season. Per Stats LLC., Watts is the fastest Falcon to notch two or more interceptions and over 20 total tackles, doing so in only four career games.

Atlanta's defense has allowed a 60.6% completion percentage for opposing quarterbacks, the lowest in the league and has the sixth-best coverage success rate (55.6%), according to Next Gen Stats. Among rookies, Bowman has allowed eight completions on 13 attempts for a passer rating of 51.1%, the second-lowest passer rating allowed by a rookie when targeted in the NFL, per Stats LLC. Bowman also has notched one interception on the season, and in Week 2 at Minnesota, he and Watts became the first pair of Falcons rookies to record an interception in the same game since Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant on Nov. 3, 2013, at Carolina.

In the front seven, first-round draft picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. have seen significant playing time in the rotation along the edge. When in the game, they both have generated success in the pass rush, recording at least a half sack each this season. According to Next Gen Stats, Pearce leads all rookies in pressure rate, recording nine pressures in 79 defensive snaps for a pressure rate of 17.6%.

In four games, Walker has recorded multiple tackles, making him one of three rookies with multiple total tackles in four or more games, while also having a sack. He is also the first player in the NFL to have at least one sack and four games with at least two tackles through the first four games of the season since Sean Weatherspoon did so in 2010.

The rookies have seen much success so far in Ulbrich's system, which has allowed them to play free and trust their instincts and make a play for the ball. Atlanta faces a huge test in reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. It'll be interesting to see how they attack a top 10 offense that poses a threat in both the run and pass game.

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